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NYT Crossword — July 3, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed

1I

2M

3P

4E

5I

6T

7A

8K

9E

10S

11A

12B

13O

14W

15M

O

L

T

S

16S

M

I

L

E

L

I

N

E

17P

R

E

S

I

18D

E

N

T

I

A

L

R

U

N

19U

T

A

20T

O

T

E

21A

M

I

D

S

T

22L

A

D

23E

24A

S

S

25N

26Y

E

S

27S

R

S

L

28Y

29E

T

A

30S

31S

O

32D

33S

34E

F

I

L

E

35S

36Y

A

P

37S

38F

O

E

39B

I

G

E

A

S

40Y

41N

E

T

42I

P

O

T

43U

R

N

44S

N

I

45T

46C

A

N

A

R

D

47Y

E

O

48H

49S

P

E

50W

51T

H

R

O

E

52R

I

53M

54S

M

O

55G

56D

A

P

S

57G

58O

A

T

E

59E

60P

O

E

61M

62D

E

I

63I

K

N

O

W

T

64H

E

F

E

E

65L

I

N

G

66B

I

C

U

L

T

U

R

E

67R

O

S

E

N

68B

E

E

T

S

U

G

A

R

69E

W

E

R

S

Across

36 clues

1Bank of China Tower architect

6Accepts accolades onstage, say

15Loses some hair, e.g.

16Facial feature also known as a "nasolabial fold"

17Race to the top

19N.H.L.'s Mammoth, on sports tickers

20Bag that may contain swag

21In the thick of

22Bring on board

24N.A.A.C.P. member?: Abbr.

26Disingenuous reply to "Are you asleep?"

29They may change midflight, in brief

31Lays out some green for

34Makes a return that hits the net?

38Opposite side

39Saints' setting, with "the"

41Congestion easer

47Best Actress Oscar winner between Chastain and Stone

52Part of a volcano

54Environmental portmanteau

56Greets, in a way

57Prominent feature of Jafar and the Genie in "Aladdin"

60Villanelle, e.g.

62Advocatus ___

63"Tell me about it!"

66Lifestyle for those who go both ways

67Senator Jacky of Nevada

68Root crop product

69Classic pitchers

Down

36 clues

1Item that's not on the list, say

3Claims not to have known

4Many sci-fi villains, informally

6Creature that transmits sleeping sickness

7Get-out-of-jail-free card, so to speak

9Essayist who wrote "Not many sounds in life, and I include all urban and all rural sounds, exceed in interest a knock at the door"

10Not looking reputable

11Supporters of L.G.B.T.Q.+ people

12Tropical specimens that can be either flora or fauna

18Like a nonstarter, for short

23Woods seen on Broadway

25Curry accompaniment

28Pros in Washington

30What some articles are written on

32Device in many a garage

35Former Medicare IDs

37Mode, for one

40Choking cause, with "the"

42Very clear, as a telecast

45Oil alternative

48Strongly criticize, with "at"

53Whimpers like a baby

57Brothers ___ (pop stars of the 1960s-80s)

58Many a classic Steinbeck character

59Dramatic "Not you, too?"

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

Stats & info

Friday, Jul 3, 2026

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

25/200

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJul 3, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorBarbara Lin

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split36 across · 36 down

Longest entries

17ARace to the top15 ltrs 63A"Tell me about it!"15 ltrs 3DClaims not to have known15 ltrs 12DTropical specimens that can be either flora or fauna15 ltrs 1DItem that's not on the list, say10 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 25 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.