Home/Archive/Feb 3, 2026

NYT Crossword — February 3, 2026

Tuesday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 81 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 81 revealed

1N

2A

3S

4C

5A

6R

7T

8O

9T

10E

11S

12S

13A

14T

15I

Q

U

O

T

E

16W

H

A

M

O

17H

B

O

18T

U

N

N

E

L

19V

I

S

I

O

N

20A

L

L

21E

A

S

T

22I

A

G

O

23T

A

24S

K

E

D

25O

26V

E

N

S

27H

I

T

M

E

28T

29V

30G

U

I

D

E

31B

E

C

A

U

S

32E

33B

A

R

R

E

34S

O

L

O

35T

H

A

36T

37S

P

A

38W

39E

40T

P

A

I

N

41T

42A

G

E

43P

E

D

44I

45Y

E

A

R

46U

47N

C

L

E

48S

E

C

49R

E

C

Y

50S

51T

R

O

K

E

S

52L

E

A

S

H

53B

U

R

N

T

54S

55P

E

E

D

O

56F

I

R

E

57H

58A

59H

60A

61M

A

V

62I

N

63S

I

D

E

V

64O

I

C

E

S

65O

N

E

66S

M

I

L

E

67O

W

N

E

R

S

68G

E

L

69H

E

X

E

S

70R

E

G

R

E

T

Across

39 clues

1Daytona 500 org.

7Cloth shopping bags

12Advanced to the next round of musical chairs, say

15"Their exact words were …"

16Toy company behind Frisbees and Hula Hoops

17"Sex and the City" network

18Narrow, focused perspective

20"___ for one and one for ___!"

21E, on a compass

22Villain in Shakespeare's "Othello" and Disney's "Aladdin"

23Assigned a job

25Pizzeria fixtures

27Blackjack player's request

28Magazine for the small screen since 1953

31Parent's curt response to a kid's "But why?"

33Ballet dancer's handrail

34Unaccompanied

35"You can say ___ again!"

37Place for a seaweed body wrap

38Sign near a freshly applied coat

42Number represented by candles on a cake

43Toe treatment, in brief

45___ of the Horse (2026 in the Chinese zodiac)

46"You win! I give up!"

48One might be sworn to it

52Dog harness attachment

53Beyond well-done

54Maker of skintight swimwear

56Exceptionally good, in Gen Z slang

57"Very funny!"

61Dallas N.B.A. player, for short

62What children should use at the library … and a literal description of the circled letters in this puzzle

65Any number raised to the 0th power

66"Say cheese!"

67People with custody of things, typically

68Toothpaste type

70Feel remorse about

Down

42 clues

1Evening, in ads

2Blue-green hue

3Pair orbited by the fictional planet Tatooine

4Use makeup to sculpt and define, as facial features

7Tiny tree branches

9Word before chi or after mai

11Beethoven's "Moonlight ___"

12Burger chain with custard-based drinks

13Ready, willing and ___

14Spilled the beans

19Rooftop accessory often shaped like a rooster atop an arrow

24Salacious material

26Oceanfront room feature

27Prefix with pad or port

28One of eight in a stick of butter: Abbr.

29Uses an e-cigarette

30Stage of education

32Bird on Mexico's flag

34Fix, at the vet's

36Some concert souvenirs

39"Look this way, class"

40The "T" in STEM, informally

41Go sour, as milk

44Slurpee alternative

47Potentially suspicious response to "What are you doing?"

49Red bit in a salad

50"You betcha!"

51The ___ Project (mental health organization for LGBTQ+ youth)

53___ one's time (waits patiently)

55Window section

56Submit one's taxes

58Taiwanese PC maker

60The "A" in T.A.: Abbr.

63Highest roll of a standard die

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

Stats & info

Tuesday, Feb 3, 2026

16×15

Grid size

81

Total entries

38/202

Black / letter cells

5.0

Avg entry length

12 ltrs

Longest entry

Easy

Tuesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 3, 2026

DayTuesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorNate Cardin

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split39 across · 42 down

Longest entries

18ANarrow, focused perspective12 ltrs 62AWhat children should use at the library … and a literal description of the circled letters in this puzzle12 ltrs 12DBurger chain with custard-based drinks10 ltrs 30DStage of education10 ltrs 38ASign near a freshly applied coat8 ltrs

Tuesday sits one notch above Monday, usually with a light theme and a few playful clues. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 5.0 letters per entry.