Utilises... Means the same, but with less letters (4)
I believe the answer is:
uses
'utilises' is the definition.
('use' can be a synonym of 'utilize')
'the same but with less letters' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'letters' could be 'es' (more than one E) and 'es' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'us' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'means' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for uses that I've seen before include "Sues (anag.)" , "manipulates" , "Puts into service" , "Operates" , "What an employer does" .)