Home/Archive/Feb 20, 2026

NYT Crossword — February 20, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1O

2L

3A

4F

5S

6K

7U

8L

9A

10S

11S

12O

13S

14B

A

R

I

15S

T

A

S

16A

T

T

A

C

H

17O

V

E

N

W

A

R

E

18S

E

E

S

T

O

19S

W

E

A

T

E

R

20W

E

A

T

H

E

R

21E

L

G

I

N

22I

R

S

23A

T

E

24M

25A

L

I

G

N

26A

Z

T

E

27C

28O

P

I

N

E

29R

H

E

A

30O

31H

32N

33O

34R

E

V

E

R

35S

E

E

N

G

36I

N

E

E

R

37E

D

E

N

38N

D

A

S

39M

A

R

N

E

40S

41H

O

E

D

42S

P

R

E

E

S

43A

44B

45T

46A

W

E

47S

C

O

T

S

48F

R

I

49E

N

D

M

50A

T

E

R

I

A

51L

52R

A

M

A

D

A

53C

A

N

T

S

T

O

54P

55O

V

E

R

L

Y

56L

I

E

S

T

I

L

L

57S

A

S

S

E

S

58U

N

S

59S

P

A

Y

Across

33 clues

1Disney character who sings "In Summer"

5Product code used in inventory management

14Ones always grinding at their jobs?

17Baking sheets, cake pans, muffin tins, etc.

19Pleasant chill in the air, say

21Baylor of N.B.A. fame

22Org. whose work takes many forms?

26Nahuatl speaker

29Actress Seehorn of "Pluribus"

30"I smell trouble ...!"

34Break down while studying?

38Docs that deal with sensitive information

39Miracle on the ___ (surprise French/English victory of W.W. I)

40Like many working horses, but not many working dogs

43N.Y.C.-based dance group

47Descendants of the Picts

48Someone you might like to get to know better

52Wyndham hotel brand

53Has to keep going

56Instruction before an M.R.I.

57Gets wise to?

58Li'l ___ (tykes)

Down

35 clues

1Seller's shorthand for "I'm willing to haggle"

3"Is this being broadcast now?"

4Posh hotel room amenities

5Cholesterol-lowering drug

6___ Bass, first female mayor of Los Angeles

7Customer, in tech-speak

8Social activity that may involve wearing a vest

10"Let it stand"

11One of the Obamas

12It has eight players

13Word with bird or leave

15Arrogant self-assurance

20Becomes aged, in a way

25Was a copycat of

27Shady dealers

29Trade for cash

31"Some free advice ..."

32State bird found in only a single state

33Valuable deposits

35They might be made up in the spring

41Online nickname

42Things made by toddlers and directors

43Hairstyles often associated with the ’60s and ’70s

45x

49Crispy flaps of crust on sourdough loaves

50Org. with a "Know Your Rights" campaign

51___ Bunny, toon who debuted in "Space Jam"

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

Stats & info

Friday, Feb 20, 2026

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

30/195

Black / letter cells

5.7

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 20, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorKate Hawkins

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split33 across · 35 down

Longest entries

34ABreak down while studying?15 ltrs 19APleasant chill in the air, say14 ltrs 48ASomeone you might like to get to know better14 ltrs 4DPosh hotel room amenities10 ltrs 27DShady dealers10 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 30 black squares and averages 5.7 letters per entry.