The term 'reduce to ashes' can be solved by three different crossword solutions: INCINERATE (10 letters), BURN (4 letters), and CREMATE (7 letters). Incineration is the process of burning organic materials at very high temperatures, usually in a controlled environment. Burning is the act of setting something on fire, and cremation is the process of burning a body until it is reduced to ashes. All three of these terms refer to the same process of reducing something to ashes.