A Certificate of Indebtedness is a financial instrument issued by a government or corporation to raise money. It is also known as a scrip, which is a five-letter word that is the solution to the crossword puzzle. A Certificate of Indebtedness is a debt security that is similar to a bond, but it does not pay interest. Instead, it is redeemable for a certain amount of money at a specified date in the future. The issuer of the certificate is obligated to repay the principal and any accrued interest on the maturity date.