Home/Archive/May 15, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 15, 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
1H
2I
3L
4T
5L
6I
7V
8E
9W
10I
11R
12E
13S
14O
M
E
N
15B
A
N
A
N
A
S
E
A
T
16M
A
T
T
17A
P
E
C
O
S
T
U
M
E
18E
L
M
19E
L
I
Z
A
20H
O
S
E
A
21C
L
E
22A
V
E
S
23N
24I
T
25E
S
L
26H
E
A
D
E
D
27S
T
R
U
28M
29E
A
T
I
N
30B
E
L
A
B
O
31R
32S
33F
R
E
D
34T
A
G
O
N
35D
O
E
36S
37S
M
A
38S
H
C
U
T
39B
E
G
A
T
40S
H
A
K
E
41T
E
L
U
G
U
42G
43M
44C
45E
W
W
46C
I
S
T
E
R
N
47R
E
A
48D
E
49O
50G
R
E
S
51W
A
N
52I
T
S
U
P
53T
O
Y
O
U
54C
A
P
E
55N
E
E
D
L
E
D
R
O
P
56O
V
E
R
57D
R
Y
S
E
A
S
O
N
58M
E
S
S

Across

35 clues
1To the ___ (as much as possible)
5Electrifying people, so to speak
14Dog howling at night, maybe
15Vintage bike feature
16Good name for a yoga instructor?
17Hairy get-up
18Wych ___ (tree type)
19Miss Doolittle of "Pygmalion"
20Civil rights activist Williams, an associate of Martin Luther King Jr.
21Splits apart
23Annual coll. basketball competition
25Class for some aspiring bilinguals, in brief
26Led
27Play casually, say
29Like some kitchens
30Harps on
33MacMurray of "Double Indemnity"
34Throw in at the end
35Pulls off
37Jarring film transition to a new scene
39Sired
40Give a hand?
41Language of southern India
42Sierra, e.g.
45"Nasty!"
46Rainwater reservoir
47Duane ___ (New York-based pharmacy chain)
49Figures in "Puss in Boots" and "Hop-o'-My-Thumb"
51Sickly-looking
52"I don't care either way"
54Magician's accessory
55Use of a popular song to make a scene iconic, in film-speak
56"Your turn to speak"
57Difficult time for farmers
58Hot ___

Down

35 clues
1Big name in meal prep kits
2"Tell me!"
3Line of attack?
4Cause of a boom
5Material for the blue eyebrows on the mask of Tutankhamen, in brief
6Mother of Don Juan
7Here goes nothing!
8Brian of ambient music
9Part of a bass in a jug band
10:
11Get new life out of
12Eponym for a lounge chair
13"I can't believe that price" bargain
15Made hay?
19Uniform
22Puma rival
24Setting for the graphic novel series "Persepolis"
27Transition
28Competitor of the early Chevrolet 490
30"Sticks"
31Dangerous ocean phenomenon
32Edible algae dubbed "green caviar"
34Break the ice?
36Knockouts
38Blind followers, informally
39Friend of Nancy Drew
41Moor
42Daily ___
43Element of a poetry analysis, maybe
44Baseball's Stengel
46Sing like Michael Bublé
48Threads
50Food item whose name comes from the Greek for "turn"
53Occasion that may involve fine china
54Common end to an address

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

Stats & info

Friday, May 15, 2026
15×15
Grid size
70
Total entries
30/195
Black / letter cells
5.6
Avg entry length
10 ltrs
Longest entry
Hard
Friday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedMay 15, 2026
DayFriday
ThemeThemeless
ConstructorMaddy Ziegler
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split35 across · 35 down
Longest entries
15AVintage bike feature10 ltrs17AHairy get-up10 ltrs52A"I don't care either way"10 ltrs55AUse of a popular song to make a scene iconic, in film-speak10 ltrs5AElectrifying people, so to speak9 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 5.6 letters per entry.