Crossword Clue: Make amends
Here's the answer to the Make amends crossword clue, with an explanation and where it has appeared.
Definition & answer: ATONE
"Make amends" points to ATONE, a 5-letter entry that starts with A and finishes on E and carries 3 vowels. Because every square it occupies also belongs to a down or across answer crossing it, you can often back into ATONE from the letters around it rather than the clue alone.
Origin & meaning
To atone is to make reparation for a wrong. The A-T-O-N-E vowel spread makes it a useful five-letter crossword answer.
Common usage
Compact, vowel-friendly answers such as ATONE are a constructor's staple: they slot into a 5-square space and play nicely in both directions. Solvers who recognize it on sight save real time on the daily puzzle.
Crossword trivia
Atone belongs to the small vocabulary of words that appear constantly in grids. Because it's only 5 letters, editors can drop it almost anywhere, which is why regular solvers know it on sight.
Stuck on this clue?
Stuck on "Make amends"? Don't force it — solve the clues crossing this slot instead. One or two intersecting letters usually make ATONE obvious. Working from the crossings is the single most useful habit for getting faster.
This clue in different puzzles
The clue "Make amends" is just one way to arrive at ATONE. Across different puzzles and editors you may see the same answer clued as "Repent for". Recognizing that a single answer can wear many clues is one of the fastest ways to level up as a solver.
Example sentences
- "A 5-letter slot and a clue like 'Make amends'? That's ATONE nine times out of ten."
- "I second-guessed it, but the crossing answers confirmed ATONE was right."
- "I had the crossing letters, so writing ATONE into the grid took no time at all."