Home/Archive/Jun 5, 2026

NYT Crossword — June 5, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 70 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 70 revealed

1E

2M

3E

4N

5D

6S

7G

8R

9R

10D

11A

12I

13S

14M

A

K

E

I

T

15M

A

K

E

16S

E

N

S

E

17T

H

E

W

A

Y

I

L

O

O

K

A

T

I

T

18S

I

S

19P

L

E

A

20P

O

L

I

S

H

21P

E

E

N

22H

E

R

E

23R

24A

25D

A

R

S

26P

A

N

T

R

27I

28E

29S

30A

G

A

R

S

31F

L

I

E

S

S

O

L

O

32C

A

V

A

33R

O

A

L

D

34S

T

I

R

35E

M

I

S

36S

I

O

N

S

37P

H

A

S

E

38R

E

D

A

P

P

L

E

39G

O

O

S

E

S

40I

R

I

S

41L

I

T

E

42M

43A

44I

L

I

N

45D

E

V

O

46A

47I

48M

49R

U

N

I

N

T

50E

R

F

E

R

51E

N

C

E

52I

D

O

N

T

W

A

N

T

T

O

K

N

O

W

53S

I

N

G

54O

R

O

55H

O

G

A

N

S

Across

31 clues

1Adjusts, as text

10Lecture setting

14"Can anyone explain this?!"

17"Let me try to explain …"

19Appeal in defense

20Coat on a tip?

21Round striker

22Where 22-Across is

23Pilots' tools

26Grocery stores?

30Seaweed-based gels

31Strikes out on one's own

32So-called "Champagne of Spain"

33___ Hoffmann, 1981 Nobel Prize-winning chemist

35Targets of some regulations

37Something a toddler might grow out of

40Something you can see right through

41Not so rich, so to speak

45New wave band with the 1979 album "Duty Now for the Future"

49Provide proactive help, in a way

52"Keep me out of it"

53Opposite of "stay silent"

54"___ y plata" (Montana's motto)

55Southwestern dwellings

Down

39 clues

2Dorado fish, informally

5Attire that may snap on

6Does up, in a way

8Studio behind "Notorious" and "Nocturne"

9Came out of bankruptcy, say

10What might give a hand in a casino?

12Deity with a temple in Pompeii

13Actor Gilliam of "The Wire"

16Some athleisure bottoms

21Modern water sport

23500 competitor

25Biblical shepherd-turned-king

26Kind of figure

28___ Neal, co-star of TV's "The Hughleys"

29Painful spots

31People not to argue with, they say

33Forcibly halve

37Small marsupial whose name is spelled using only the letters of TROP

39Biblical verb

41Blue side, with "the"

42Med. diagnostics

43Maker of the Q3

45Movie villain who is a member of SPECTRE

46Pioneering civil rights activist ___ Arnold Hedgeman

47Forbidden subject in Islamic art

48Row houses, to Brits

51Med. diagnostic

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

Stats & info

Friday, Jun 5, 2026

15×15

Grid size

70

Total entries

28/197

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedJun 5, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorKelly Morenus

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split31 across · 39 down

Longest entries

14A"Can anyone explain this?!"15 ltrs 17A"Let me try to explain …"15 ltrs 49AProvide proactive help, in a way15 ltrs 52A"Keep me out of it"15 ltrs 10DWhat might give a hand in a casino?11 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 28 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.