Home/Archive/Apr 21, 2026

NYT Crossword — April 21, 2026

Tuesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 76 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 76 revealed

1Y

2I

3E

4L

5D

6S

7S

8A

9G

10E

11O

12D

13E

14E

M

P

I

R

E

15P

L

O

W

16N

O

M

17S

P

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I

T

18G

U

I

D

E

19E

L

I

20A

B

S

O

R

B

21I

T

L

L

22C

23O

24N

S

25U

N

I

26T

27E

D

W

A

Y

28A

V

E

29A

30P

R

31S

E

N

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S

32L

E

M

33O

N

A

D

34E

35A

D

O

36F

R

O

N

T

I

E

R

37J

U

S

T

38I

39C

40E

41L

I

N

42M

O

R

O

S

E

L

Y

43M

44C

45C

A

F

E

46S

47I

N

N

48D

O

E

49D

E

L

T

A

D

A

50W

N

51A

S

P

S

52P

L

I

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53W

R

I

54T

55E

S

56H

I

M

57F

58L

Y

I

N

G

S

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59A

60R

61T

62D

N

A

63L

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64I

S

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65S

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X

66Y

U

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67F

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Y

O

U

Across

35 clues

11Form of poetry Pablo Neruda used to praise socks, onions and salt

14Realm of the Aztecs or Incas

15Do some farmwork

17Mentor from the beyond

19Whitney who invented the cotton gin

21"___ have to do"

22Grifters' schemes

25Major charity whose recipients include the Red Cross and Salvation Army

28Lexington or Madison in N.Y.C.: Abbr.

29Mo. with Aries and Taurus signs

31Soon-to-be graduates

32Offering from an entrepreneurial child's stand

35Song and dance

36Wild West way of settling disputes

41Broadway's ___-Manuel Miranda

42In a gloomy way

43Starbucks alternatives from the Golden Arches

48Bambi's mother, for one

491972 country hit for Tanya Tucker

51Reptiles on papyrus

53Puts pen to paper

56"But Daddy I Love ___" (Taylor Swift song)

57Early advantage ... or a hint to the beginnings of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across

62"Blueprint" for life

64Chemical "twin"

65"On the Basis of ___" (Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic)

66Circular tent

67Words often accompanying a present

Down

41 clues

1Answer equivalent to "I do"

2Mischievous devil

3Prefix with center

4Coins spent in Turkey

6Tennis match units

8They may crumble under cross-examination

10Female form of the animal that outnumbers humans in Iceland

12Big name in rental cars

13___ List (PAC for Democratic female candidates)

18Haitian currency unit

21Not the brightest bulbs, so to speak

24Captain in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea"

26Steeping container

27Finishes with

29Left-wing protest group

33Like "The Tonight Show" and "Saturday Night Live"

34Hesitation sound across the pond

37Enter the chat, so to speak

38Some military hazards, for short

40Visually sizes up

43Dual degrees for physicians

44___ Dion, the "Queen of Power Ballads"

46Literary friend of Finn

50Body part that's flicked

51Businessman John Jacob ___

54"Almost time for the weekend!"

55Canadian gas brand

57Cool, in ’90s slang

58Common Chinese surname

59Funny Schumer or Poehler

60___ Speedwagon

61"___ dat" (slangy agreement)

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Tuesday, Apr 21, 2026

15×15

Grid size

76

Total entries

36/189

Black / letter cells

5.0

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easy

Tuesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedApr 21, 2026

DayTuesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorVictoria Fernandez Grande

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 41 down

Longest entries

36AWild West way of settling disputes15 ltrs 17AMentor from the beyond11 ltrs 57AEarly advantage ... or a hint to the beginnings of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across11 ltrs 25AMajor charity whose recipients include the Red Cross and Salvation Army9 ltrs 49A1972 country hit for Tanya Tucker9 ltrs

Tuesday sits one notch above Monday, usually with a light theme and a few playful clues. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.0 letters per entry.