Near(er) to the core (5)

The answer to “Near(er) to the core (5)” in the The Guardian Quick crossword is INNER — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Guardian Quick crossword on September 22, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 8-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Near(er) to the core (5)” answer

INNER (5 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is INNER.

What does INNER mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of INNER is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

When else has “Near(er) to the core (5)” appeared?

The Guardian Quick reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

September 22, 2026 (most recent) → INNER. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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