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NYT Crossword — January 15, 2026

Thursday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 85 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 85 revealed

1M

2O

3O

4S

5S

6W

7E

8A

9T

10G

11R

12E

13C

14O

15A

N

N

A

16S

E

N

S

E

17A

I

M

E

D

18S

E

E

K

19A

N

D

Y

H

A

20L

L

F

I

N

D

21A

N

I

S

E

22G

A

Y

23U

L

T

R

A

S

24L

I

L

25R

26B

I

27I

C

E

S

28A

L

L

29D

A

V

E

30R

31Y

D

A

Y

32T

33S

34A

35Y

T

D

36E

O

N

S

37S

E

N

D

38I

39R

40E

N

E

41F

I

D

O

42K

E

E

L

S

43N

O

T

E

44C

A

K

E

45A

R

M

46C

D

S

47F

A

M

I

L

48Y

G

A

I

49G

50H

51T

52G

A

P

E

53A

O

K

54O

U

I

55S

56N

57O

O

Z

E

58C

59E

L

60E

61A

T

M

E

62C

O

N

F

I

R

63M

A

T

I

64O

N

B

I

A

S

65A

N

T

O

N

66A

F

T

E

R

67U

M

N

O

68R

E

O

R

G

69T

E

A

S

E

70T

E

E

N

Across

39 clues

5Visible sign of hard work

10El ___ (precursor of the Expressionists)

15Novelist Quindlen who wrote "One True Thing"

16One of five ... or maybe six?

18*Oft-quoted advice in Matthew 7:7

21Herb related to parsley

22Part of L.G.B.T.Q.

23Races longer than marathons, informally

24First name in rap?

25Stat for Aaron Judge

27Puts the finishing touches on, in a way

32Some scanners, for short

35Jan. 1 through today

36Oodles of time

38Nobelist Joliot-Curie who synthesized radioactive isotopes

41Stereotypical dog

42Bases of shipbuilding

43Sol, but not Luna

44Word with sponge or fish

45Quarterback's asset

46Shiny little platters

47*Evening spent playing with the kids, say

52Stare in astonishment

54Possible response to "Tu veux du chocolat?"

55Idiomatic partner of "lose"

60Directive written in currants in "Alice in Wonderland"

62Tendency to reinforce one's established beliefs … or a hint to answering this puzzle's starred clues

65Playwright Chekhov

67"Sorry ... hard pass"

68Corporate musical chairs, for short

70Quinceañera celebrant, e.g.

Down

46 clues

1Indian spice blend

2Low soccer score

3Food writer Molly

4Fifth Avenue store

6One method of sibling torture

7Oscar-nominated singer/songwriter for "May It Be" (2001)

8Like a used firepit

9What might give you a brewed awakening?

10Narrow kitchen

11Results of feuds

12Title for any male in the House of Saud

13Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation

14Sportsbook calculation

20Created Yoda, he did

26Brief letters?

27Fig. on a driver's license

29Unit of force

30Energy-healing practice

31Fluctuate between normal singing and falsetto

32Bit of concert merch

33Show that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, in brief

34About a third of an N.F.L. broadcast

37Highway behemoth

38Fortune competitor

40Subject of astrobiology, in brief

42Seattle N.H.L. team

44April fool, e.g.

45Sixth word of the Gettysburg Address

47Throwing for a loop

48Bulldog supporters

49The moment of truth

50"The greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being ___": Mahatma Gandhi

51Dons, as an apron

52Really try to get

55C-section reminder

57Not fooled by

58Where the coffee and Wi-Fi might both be strong

59"At Last" singer James

63Place to strike a pose?

64Seam contents

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

Stats & info

Thursday, Jan 15, 2026

16×15

Grid size

85

Total entries

38/202

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

16 ltrs

Longest entry

Tricky

Thursday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJan 15, 2026

DayThursday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorWendy L. Brandes and Barbara Lin

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split39 across · 46 down

Longest entries

18A*Oft-quoted advice in Matthew 7:716 ltrs 62ATendency to reinforce one's established beliefs … or a hint to answering this puzzle's starred clues16 ltrs 28A*24/7/36512 ltrs 47A*Evening spent playing with the kids, say12 ltrs 23ARaces longer than marathons, informally6 ltrs

Thursday is the gimmick day: rebus squares, reversed entries and other tricks are fair game. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.