How many letters does the top answer for “civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army” have?

The most common answer is militia (7 letters).

Crossword clue: civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

2 answers found in Letterora's clue database (Wikidata facts, Open Trivia DB, WordNet and Webster definitions — all licensed sources).

militia 7 letters wn-def

civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army

reserves 8 letters wn-def

civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army