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NYT Crossword — January 18, 2026

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 140 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 140 revealed

1D

2I

3A

4D

5E

6M

7L

8E

9N

10A

11G

12O

13E

14S

15B

16A

17L

18D

19E

N

T

I

R

E

20A

S

T

R

21O

22A

N

N

A

R

B

O

R

23A

F

T

E

R

M

24A

T

T

H

E

W

25S

E

T

L

I

S

T

S

26L

E

A

H

27O

P

T

28W

O

29E

30T

R

O

N

31S

C

A

32M

33R

E

34V

35I

E

W

T

36H

E

E

N

G

37I

38N

39E

40T

H

R

O

41B

S

42O

N

O

43C

O

R

E

S

44D

Y

E

45D

N

A

46D

I

N

K

47S

48O

M

S

49D

I

L

L

50A

51C

52T

53A

D

54S

A

L

E

55T

56I

K

57N

A

N

O

S

58T

H

E

59S

E

T

T

L

E

R

60S

O

F

Y

61U

62C

A

T

A

N

63M

A

M

I

64A

A

A

65M

R

S

66N

A

T

E

67S

O

U

N

68D

S

L

I

69K

70E

A

Y

O

71U

P

R

O

B

72L

73E

74M

75C

O

T

E

76A

A

S

77S

I

D

78A

U

R

A

79U

80N

I

T

E

S

81I

N

S

H

82I

83N

I

N

G

84A

R

M

O

R

85S

P

A

T

S

86W

E

E

87B

O

N

S

A

I

88P

S

A

89A

B

B

Y

90R

91B

I

92S

93T

E

I

G

94M

A

95G

96L

O

O

97G

E

E

S

98E

99O

A

R

100R

E

R

E

101A

102D

103T

W

O

104A

N

D

A

H

A

105L

F

M

E

106N

U

107T

O

D

O

108G

O

B

S

109R

E

F

110Y

E

111P

112R

O

S

113A

114M

115A

116L

A

M

U

T

117E

118V

E

119N

120U

E

D

I

121A

G

R

A

M

122I

L

O

V

E

D

I

T

123Y

E

A

S

T

124T

W

I

N

G

E

125A

S

S

E

S

S

E

S

126S

P

A

S

127T

E

A

S

E

S

Across

63 clues

1Bit of regal headwear

11Develops alopecia

202022 World Series champ

22College town nicknamed "A2"

23Like the Gospel of Mark, sequentially?

25Concert lineups

26Matriarch of six of the 12 tribes of Israel

27Make a choice

301982 film whose name is a security program

31Text that says "Congratulations! You've won a MacBook Pro," probably

33Prepare for a mechanic's certification exam?

42Rock's Plastic ___ Band

43Central parts of planets

44Hairdresser's supply

45Molecule that might be modeled with Twizzlers and gummies in biology class

46Soft shots, in tennis

48Meditative chants

49Plant used in pickling

50H.S. exam whose highest score is 36

53Source of income for a website

55Half of a popular social media app

57Discontinued iPods designed to fit into watch pockets

58Original people to move into Cancún's peninsula?

63Affectionate term for una madre

64Designation for the Louisville Bats and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp

65Preceder of Peacock and White in the game Clue

66"Big" comic protagonist

67"Don't look at me for help" … or a phonetic hint to this puzzle's theme

75Dove's dwelling

76Wii remote batteries

77Sloth in 2002's "Ice Age"

78Sensation before a migraine, medically

79Gets married while wearing protective gear?

87Japanese craft that literally translates to "tray planting"

88"This Is your brain on drugs," e.g., for short

89Best-selling romance author Jimenez

90One of 2,214 for Babe Ruth

92"Shrek!" author William

94Common item at a checkout line, informally

96#1 spot in London?

97Honkers without horns

99It might come with a shell

100Go over again

103List of restaurant offerings for kids not yet three years old?

109Someone who might issue a travel warning?

110"Roger that!"

112Name that means "pink" in Spanish

114Relative of a husky

118Wedding planner's aid?

123It might raise a bunch of dough

124Stab of pain

126Businesses offering mud masks

127Pulls the chain of, so to speak

Down

77 clues

1Word on either side of "or no"

3Add electronically, in a way

4Like a really big fan

6Bad thing not to get (especially at the office?)

7The Cinnamon Dolce or the Blonde Vanilla, at Starbucks

8"Silentium ___ aureum" ("Silence is golden")

10"Is it time to rethink this relationship?"

11Hilarious thing

12Like George H.W. Bush, but not George W. Bush

13Starters' followers

14Businesses whose employees work standing up

16"Chiseled" features

17Destiny in life

18Hippocratic oath followers, for short

21"Stop! That hurts!"

24Car financing figs.

29List shortener

32"Hidden Figures" co-star Janelle

34Breathable fabric used in mosquito nets

36What a bad student might play

37Menzel of Broadway

38Guitar string material

39Fish traditionally in the British dish "pie and mash"

41What kitsch exhibits

47Part of a bedtime routine

49Healthy, fiber-rich snack

50Where some bills originate

51Former transportation secretary Elaine

52Chinese competitor of Amazon

54Loses freshness

56"In that case …"

57Grp. that Sweden joined in 2024

61Removes from the top of one's profile, as an Instagram post

62Hearts or spades, but not diamonds

69Classic Orson Welles protagonist

72Feature of undermixed batter

73Greek god whose name becomes a flower if you move the first letter to the end

74Golden Globe nominee Rooney

79"V," to a violinist

80Padmé Amidala's home planet in "Star Wars"

84Images that can rip off human creators, perhaps

85Pretzel topper

90Trees with heart-shaped leaves

91Creature, cutesily

93Candies that crack with a crunch

95Last of the 13 original colonies to be founded

97Some lawn ornaments

98Part of E.N.T.

100Kicked oneself for

102500 mg 2x/day, e.g.

104Source of a natural sweetener

105Last name shared by three actors on "Schitt's Creek"

106Russian denials

111The Panthers of the A.C.C.

113Midwest city whose name becomes a Southwest city if you move the first letter to the end

114Not around, informally

115Hirt and Hirschfeld

116Día de ___ Reyes Magos

117They're often depicted with green skin, for short

119Something much needed after an all-nighter

120Today preceder

121Leave speechless

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

Stats & info

Sunday, Jan 18, 2026

21×21

Grid size

140

Total entries

74/367

Black / letter cells

5.2

Avg entry length

21 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJan 18, 2026

DaySunday

ThemeUse Your Words

ConstructorRena Cohen

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split63 across · 77 down

Longest entries

67A"Don't look at me for help" … or a phonetic hint to this puzzle's theme21 ltrs 58AOriginal people to move into Cancún's peninsula?20 ltrs 79AGets married while wearing protective gear?20 ltrs 33APrepare for a mechanic's certification exam?15 ltrs 103AList of restaurant offerings for kids not yet three years old?15 ltrs

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 74 black squares and averages 5.2 letters per entry.