The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 4 letter word SHAM which also is the latest solution we found used in New York Times in 2025.
Fake crossword clue answers
Here's a list of possible crossword answers ranked by the most likely to least likely.
| Answer | Likelyness | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| SHAM | 35 % | 4 |
| ERSATZ | 16 % | 6 |
| BOGUS | 7 % | 5 |
| PHONY | 6 % | 5 |
| FEIGN | 4 % | 5 |
| NOTREAL | 4 % | 7 |
| PSEUDO | 4 % | 6 |
| IMPOSTOR | 3 % | 8 |
| UNREAL | 2 % | 6 |
| FORGE | 2 % | 5 |
| FALSE | 2 % | 5 |
| HOAX | 1 % | 4 |
| FEIGNED | 1 % | 7 |
| MOCK | 1 % | 4 |
| FORGERY | 1 % | 7 |
| COPY | 1 % | 4 |
| IMITATION | 1 % | 9 |
| HOKE | 1 % | 4 |
| FRAUD | 1 % | 5 |
| DEKE | 1 % | 4 |
| SYNTHETIC | 1 % | 9 |
| FALSIFY | 1 % | 7 |
| FAUX | 1 % | 4 |
| IMPOSTER | 1 % | 8 |
| RINGER | 1 % | 6 |
| STAGE | 1 % | 5 |
| POSER | 1 % | 5 |
| SPURIOUS | 1 % | 8 |
| ARTIFICIAL | 1 % | 10 |
| HOKEY | 1 % | 5 |
Why may PHONY be the right solution?
The word "phony" is the right answer because it means "fake" or "not genuine." It is a common synonym for fake and fits the clue perfectly.
Words with a meaning similar to the clue: Fake
These words may or may not be a possible solution to this crosswords clue.- phoney
- faux
- phony
- bogus
- sham
- falsify
- artificial
- imposter
- impostor
- counterfeit
- wangle
- pretender
Crossword Answer definitions
SHAM noun- A fake; an imitation that purports to be genuine.
- Trickery, hoaxing.
- A false front, or removable ornamental covering.
- A decorative cover for a pillow.
- To deceive, cheat, lie.
- To obtrude by fraud or imposition.
- To assume the manner and character of; to imitate; to ape; to feign.
- Intended to deceive; false.
- Counterfeit; unreal
More crossword clues leading to the same solutions
Here's a few more crossword clues - all leading to the identical solution
More clues leading to the result SHAM
- Bogus
- Decorative cover
- Fake
- Pillow cover
- Pillow protector
- Sam the __ and the Pharaohs
- Bedding item
- Deceit
- Fraud
- Hoax
More clues leading to the result ERSATZ
- Artificial
- Being an inferior substitute
- Imitation
- Manufactured
- Faux
- Fake
- Margarine, vis- -vis butter
- Sham
- Mock
- Not the real thing
More clues leading to the result BOGUS
- Fraudulent
- Like funny money
- Like the Piltdown Man
- Phony
- Sham
- Fake
- Like a three-dollar bill
- Like a slug
- Not legitimate
- Counterfeit
More clues leading to the result PHONY
More clues leading to the result FEIGN
- Pretend
- Put on
- Reportedly willing to pretend (5)
- Sham
- Fake
- Put on the appearance of
- Dissemble
- Fake, as an injury
- Put on an appearance
- Kid around with
More clues leading to the result NOTREAL
More clues leading to the result PSEUDO
- Spurious
- False
- False start?
- Prefix meaning "false"
- False front?
- Prefix meaning "fake"
- Pretended
- Prefix with science
- False: Pref.
- Prefix with intellectual
More clues leading to the result IMPOSTOR
- Quack
- Pretender
- Fake
- Identity thief, e.g.
- Phony
- Charlatan.
- Poseur.
- Wolf in sheep's clothing, e.g.
- Human phony
- ___ syndrome ("I don't belong here" feeling)
More clues leading to the result UNREAL
- Outta sight!
- Imaginary
- "Wow ... just wow"
- Comment made with a head-shake
- Illusory
- Fictitious
- Beyond belief
- "Awesome!"
- All in your mind
- Like unicorns and leprechauns
More clues leading to the result FORGE
- Smithy
- Deceptively copy
- Make bogus bills
- Hammer into shape
- Milieu for hammers and anvils
- Beat into shape
- Hammer out
- Blacksmith's workplace
- Make, as funny money
- Reproduce fraudulently
More clues leading to the result FALSE
- Like some pretenses or teeth
- Kind of alarm or arrest
- Distorted
- Phoney baloney
- Exam answer
- Quiz choice
- Phony
- Quiz answer
- Like a whopper
- Counterfeit
More clues leading to the result HOAX
- Mare's-nest
- The Cardiff Giant, for one
- Hoodwink
- Like an urban legend
- UFO's, perhaps
- Manti Te'o's girlfriend, for one
- The Cardiff Giant, e.g.
- Facebook privacy announcement, e.g.
- Kurt Vonnegut's faux commencement address e-mail, e.g.
- Like many a catfish relationship
More clues leading to the result FEIGNED
More clues leading to the result MOCK
More clues leading to the result FORGERY
More clues leading to the result COPY
- Do some xeroxing
- Kind of cat?
- Kind of editor
- Photo finish?
- Emulate Shia LaBeouf
- Emulate
- Duplicate
- Cheat on a test
- Ad text
- Use the Xerox machine
More clues leading to the result IMITATION
- Dupe
- Faux
- Fake
- Knockoff
- "___ of Christ."—Kempis.
- Counterfeit.
- Not the real McCoy.
- Not the real thing.
- Ersatz
- Copy
More clues leading to the result HOKE
- Meaningless talk, for short
- Miss Daisy's driver
- He drove Miss Daisy
- ___ up (falsify)
- Improve superficially, with "up"
- Bunkum
- Distort, as with false data, with "up"
- Manipulate, as statistics, with "up"
- Phony (up)
- Baloney
More clues leading to the result FRAUD
- Impostor
- Charlatan
- Mountebank
- Trickery
- Bunco squad's concern
- Criminal deception
- Super duper
- Dupery
- Businessman's crime
- Deceptive crime
More clues leading to the result DEKE
- Apollo astronaut Slayton
- Astronaut Slayton
- 1970s astronaut Slayton
- Hockey move
- One of Dubya's frat brothers
- Sports fake-out
- Fake out, on the ice
- Fake on skates?
- Rink feint
- Hockey feint
More clues leading to the result SYNTHETIC
More clues leading to the result FALSIFY
More clues leading to the result FAUX
- Artificial
- Imitation
- Imitation, in jewelry ads
- ___ pas
- Beatles tribute band The Fab ___
- Not genuine, as jewels
- --pas: error
- ___ pas: slip
- Ersatz
- Not real
More clues leading to the result IMPOSTER
More clues leading to the result RINGER
- Horseshoes score
- Horseshoe toss
- Player who turns out to have mad skills
- Good shot in quoits
- Dead ___ (identical twin)
- Quasimodo at work
- Amateur who's really a pro
- Impostor
- Dishonest competitor
- Horseshoes feat
More clues leading to the result STAGE
- "Rent" platform
- Kind of fright
- Produce, on Broadway
- Place for a play
- Set up
- Play area
- Play ground
- Thespian's workplace
- Performance platform
- Area with an imaginary fourth wall
More clues leading to the result POSER
- Baffling problem
- Baffling question
- Sticky problem
- Dilemma
- Insult for a middle schooler who puts on airs
- Superficial sort
- Enigma
- Tough nut to crack
- Riddle
- "Cheese" sayer