Home/Archive/Jul 12, 2026

NYT Crossword — July 12, 2026

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 138 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 138 revealed

1E

2N

3Y

4A

5P

6E

7T

8S

9P

10A

11A

12B

13S

14H

15O

16L

17E

18L

E

E

K

19S

20A

V

A

T

A

R

21B

R

A

22A

R

A

L

23B

I

T

I

N

24G

R

E

M

A

R

K

25S

E

L

26T

Z

E

R

S

27A

N

I

M

A

L

S

28A

S

K

S

29E

A

S

Y

M

O

D

E

30B

F

A

31F

L

E

A

32A

N

K

A

R

A

33G

34R

O

U

N

35D

L

E

S

S

36A

C

C

U

S

A

T

37I

38O

39N

40S

U

E

41C

A

Y

42D

E

E

P

43S

A

V

E

44K

N

E

45E

46L

E

D

47A

48T

49O

D

D

S

50B

51R

U

G

E

S

52I

G

L

O

O

53D

L

I

N

E

54B

U

N

I

O

N

S

55T

H

I

N

L

56Y

57V

E

I

L

E

D

58T

59H

R

E

A

T

60S

O

N

61A

C

M

E

62E

O

I

N

63S

64I

65S

66P

67A

T

R

O

N

68I

69Z

70I

N

G

C

O

71M

72M

E

N

T

73G

74F

75O

R

C

E

S

76D

O

M

E

S

77O

U

I

J

A

78R

E

P

A

S

S

79G

80A

L

O

O

T

81H

82A

N

G

T

E

N

83A

M

E

N

84K

O

B

E

85V

A

C

86A

S

S

87B

A

C

K

88H

89A

N

D

E

D

90C

91O

92M

P

L

I

93M

94E

N

T

95C

A

R

E

S

S

96I

C

E

S

97D

A

Y

98I

99T

100S

A

T

R

A

P

101A

G

E

D

102F

I

N

E

103A

104R

105T

106P

O

O

L

S

I

D

E

107B

A

L

D

108F

A

C

E

D

L

I

E

109O

R

A

L

110V

I

E

111B

R

O

L

I

N

112S

O

F

A

S

113D

I

P

S

114E

N

D

115A

S

T

E

R

S

116C

A

N

T

Across

60 clues

1One-named singer from County Donegal

5Spot treatment provider?

11You might need to lose a few to get them

14Problem with a story

18Shallot relatives

20Icon beside a username

21Push-up, for example

22Asia's rejuvenated North ___ Sea

23"I vant to suck your blood!"

25White Claws, e.g.

27Twisted balloon shapes, typically

28Doesn't wait to find out, say

29Video game setting for noobs

30Sculptor's degree, for short

31Little annoyance

33"I know you're the one who used up the last of my artisanal coffee!"

40Apt letters missing from PRO_EC_T_

44Prepared to pray

47Contradictory

50"In ___," Colin Farrell dark comedy set in Belgium

52Digs in the snow?

53Gridiron unit that includes the nose tackle, informally

54Certain bony protrusions

55"If you don't find the rings this instant, I'm calling off the wedding!"

62Author Colfer of the "Artemis Fowl" series

63Palindromic family member

66"I love your paintings so much, I'd like to finance your next exhibition!"

73What fighter pilots fight, for short

77Device for sending group messages?

81Surf in a daring way

83"You can say that again"

84Japanese city known for its beef

86Pack-bearing beast

87"Wow! With form like that, you're headed to Wimbledon!"

95Stroke gently

98"Don't fall for that!"

101Like many wines and cheeses

102Gallery collection

106Where one might drink a mai tai or piña colada

107"I'm so glad you shaved! I hated when you looked like a sexy lumberjack!"

109Kind of contraceptive

111Josh of "No Country for Old Men"

112Love seats, e.g.

113Certain body-weight exercises

114The Big Crunch, theoretically, for our universe

115Daisy relatives

116Quitter's word

Down

78 clues

2German dissent

3Himalayan menace

4With hands on hips

5Common occurrences for scratch golfers

6Apple consumer

7Mesoamerican staple cooked in a cornhusk

10Torah vessels

11Things marked during attendance

13They might be green or red

14Dress for a job you probably don't want?

15Apt name for a tuxedo cat

16Embellish as with unnecessary words

17Alternatively

26Supermodel Banks

32Crushed, in a way

34Land, as a fish

35Palindromic family member

37Shakespeare character who declares "I am not what I am"

38Baker's necessity

46[That was a good one]

47The thing in "The Thing," for one

48"Open ___ midnight"

50No es ___ (Spanish put-down)

51Cellular messenger

53Audience stat

56David who directed the final four Harry Potter films

582020 Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie

59Uses more than one's fair share of

63Tofu alternative

65Obsessive supporters, in modern lingo

67Some summer purchases, informally

70Texter's qualifier

71Dude in Jamaica

72Root beer order

74Disaster relief org.

75Noted example of oligopoly, in brief

79"Have a safe trip"

81"2001" villain

82Far from basic

84Baking recipe instruction

85Biden and Bush, once, in brief

88Professional responsibilities, colloquially

91Spotted wildcat

92Put your nose where it doesn't belong, say

93Flowing tresses

94One looking after pupils, for short

98Device outmoded by the smartphone

99"Holesome" figures

100Carving material for beginners

101___ Arena, concert venue in London's Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

102Waves a hand in front of, maybe

104Director Johnson of "Knives Out"

105Word repeated into a mic

108Symbol on an Oregon license plate

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

Stats & info

Sunday, Jul 12, 2026

21×21

Grid size

138

Total entries

77/364

Black / letter cells

5.3

Avg entry length

20 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJul 12, 2026

DaySunday

ThemeSlight Adjustments

ConstructorCollin Drown

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split60 across · 78 down

Longest entries

33A"I know you're the one who used up the last of my artisanal coffee!"20 ltrs 87A"Wow! With form like that, you're headed to Wimbledon!"20 ltrs 55A"If you don't find the rings this instant, I'm calling off the wedding!"18 ltrs 66A"I love your paintings so much, I'd like to finance your next exhibition!"18 ltrs 23A"I vant to suck your blood!"12 ltrs

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 77 black squares and averages 5.3 letters per entry.