R' Zev Sero wrote:
> The requirement is for *nine* answerers, not ten. And RMM
> is right to point out that little word "karov"; if there
> are not nine answerers it's not an actual beracha levatala,
> it's just "close" to being one.

Yes, indeed, that is correct. But there are indeed some poskim who 
wrote words to the effect that "if ten people are paying close 
attention to the chazan then xyz, but if less than ten are 
listening..."

Can we say that when they wrote "ten", they really meant "nine"? Or 
is there something deeper here?

Akiva Miller