Home/Archive/May 1, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 1, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1O

2A

3R

4S

5O

6C

7C

8A

9M

10S

11C

12A

13N

14N

E

O

N

15L

O

O

F

A

16L

I

P

O

17A

R

M

A

18D

I

L

L

O

S

19Y

A

P

S

20L

O

C

K

A

N

D

L

O

A

21D

22A

L

E

23O

B

O

E

S

24T

E

T

25O

26L

S

E

N

27G

E

M

S

28W

A

G

29C

O

A

S

T

S

30M

A

K

E

31B

E

L

I

E

V

E

32S

33P

34O

I

L

E

R

A

L

E

R

T

S

35C

O

U

P

L

E

S

O

N

L

Y

36A

N

N

U

L

S

37O

K

S

38A

39M

40F

41M

42P

O

S

S

E

43M

M

A

44A

T

A

R

I

45A

R

T

46T

47H

E

M

U

48N

C

H

I

E

S

49B

O

E

50R

51E

R

A

D

I

C

A

T

E

S

52L

U

R

K

53A

C

T

I

N

54N

A

P

E

55E

S

S

O

56T

H

E

T

A

57D

I

R

S

Across

35 clues

1Sticks in locks

5Philosopher who championed simple explanations

10CAT or PET follower

14Element between fluorine and sodium

15Spongy exfoliator

16Body-sculpting procedure, informally

17Animals whose Aztec name translates to "turtle-rabbit"

19Talks and talks

20Prepare, in military slang

22It may be bitter

24Holiday that's also a Hebrew letter

25"WandaVision" co-star Elizabeth ___

27Baguettes, e.g.

28Sign of canine contentment

29Rests on one's laurels

30Storybook, say

32Announcements before giveaways?

35Like some romantic resorts

38Satellite alternative

43Combat sport, for short

44Company whose name comes from a term in the board game Go

45Word with thou

46A craving for snacks

49Dutch for "farmer"

51Eliminates entirely

52Skulk in the shadows

53Myosin's partner protein

54Scruff : cat :: ___ : human

55Big name in petrol

56Angle variable, in math

Down

33 clues

1Bump's place, idiomatically

2Oxygen-dependent micro-organism

3"Crazy Rich Asians," for one

5"Hunters" actress Lena

6Uncontroversial opinions

9Dough in tamales

11Plant overseas, perhaps

12Devices that come with Siri Remotes

13What a babbler makes

21"Tom ___" (classic folk song that became a #1 hit in 1958)

26Place to hibernate

28Home of Swansea and Wrexham

29There are approximately 30 trillion of these in the human body

30Gluten-free grain

31Annual F.D.I.C. requirement

32Deep and full

33Lovers of homophones, say

34Impressive work

35Adjective that's synonymous with its last four letters

39Tiki bar staple

40What positive news coverage is for business

41Section of a dress shop

44U.N.C.'s athletic org.

47Part of a race

48"Project Runway" judge Garcia

50"King Kong" studio

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

Stats & info

Friday, May 1, 2026

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

30/195

Black / letter cells

5.7

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 1, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorRena Cohen

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 33 down

Longest entries

7DDorm buddy15 ltrs 32AAnnouncements before giveaways?13 ltrs 20APrepare, in military slang11 ltrs 30AStorybook, say11 ltrs 35ALike some romantic resorts11 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 30 black squares and averages 5.7 letters per entry.