Home/Archive/May 18, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 18, 2026

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 78 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 78 revealed
1T
2I
3E
4D
5P
6R
7A
8D
9A
10A
11G
12A
13R
14U
C
L
A
15R
A
M
E
N
16V
I
D
I
17B
A
B
Y
18L
O
N
I
A
N
19A
V
I
S
20A
R
O
S
E
21G
L
U
22E
23E
E
K
24S
E
W
25T
26O
27Y
O
T
A
P
28R
I
U
S
29M
O
U
E
30L
S
A
T
31I
32S
33S
A
34S
A
35C
36K
37O
M
A
38H
39A
40M
I
N
I
41S
T
R
Y
O
42F
M
A
G
I
C
43S
T
A
L
K
44N
A
D
A
45D
O
P
E
46K
E
E
47P
48A
R
49E
A
50W
51E
E
D
W
H
52A
53C
K
E
R
54K
55A
56T
57A
X
E
58S
A
S
H
59A
60I
O
L
I
61S
T
Y
62E
63S
T
A
64R
65T
S
M
A
L
L
66T
R
E
S
67E
R
R
O
R
68A
L
O
E
69E
A
S
T
70S
O
D
O
I
71C
A
T
S

Across

37 clues
1Like a game that has gone into a penalty shootout
5Luxury handbag brand
10Petri dish gel
14West Coast sch. that joined the Big Ten in 2024
15Stereotypical meal for a college student
16"Veni, ___, vici"
17Like the Code of Hammurabi
19Enterprise rival
20Got to one's feet
21Elmer's product
23"There's a cockroach!"
24Patch up some clothes, say
25Pioneering hybrid car
29Pouty expression
30Future atty.'s exam
31Rae who played President Barbie in "Barbie"
34Tackling of the quarterback
37Nebraska's largest city
40Governing body in the Harry Potter universe
43Fibrous part of broccoli
44Nothin'
45Cool, slangily
46"___ Calm and Carry On"
48Region
50Gardener's tool
54Kit ___ bar
57Woodcutter's tool
58Beauty queen's accessory
59Garlicky condiment
61Eye irritation
63Advice for the overambitious ... or a hint to 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across
66___ leches cake
67Oopsie
68Lotion ingredient
69Toward sunrise
70"Same!"
71Stereotypically antisocial pets

Down

41 clues
1Large brass instruments
2"You have my sympathy"
3Macaroni shape
414 of these make up a fortnight
5Con's opposite
6Sprinted
7Friend in Mexico
8Gave out cards
9Zinnia or sunflower
10Director DuVernay
11Attempt something
12"Au revoir!"
13Puts on the line
18Oscar winner Jared
22English town famous for its salts
26Throw out of office
27Long (for)
28Holiday Inn competitor
29Sent by post
31Writes to on WhatsApp, in brief
32Puppy school command
33Roll of two ones
35"Ta-ta," in a text
36Camera company known for its "moments"
38With it
39Unreturned serve
41Distorts, as data
42Ticket price
47The "terrible twos" and the "threenager" years, for example
49Chapters of history
50Squander
51Outlandishly over the top, in modern slang
52Houston baseballer
53Swiss ___ (salad green)
54Marsupial often mistermed a "bear"
55Apportion
56There are 100 of these in every Scrabble game
60Apple desktop
62Superlative suffix
64Down Under bounder, for short
65Prefix between bi- and tetra-

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

Stats & info

Monday, May 18, 2026
15×15
Grid size
78
Total entries
36/189
Black / letter cells
4.8
Avg entry length
15 ltrs
Longest entry
Easiest
Monday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedMay 18, 2026
DayMonday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorRena Cohen
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split37 across · 41 down
Longest entries
40AGoverning body in the Harry Potter universe15 ltrs25APioneering hybrid car11 ltrs50AGardener's tool11 ltrs17ALike the Code of Hammurabi10 ltrs63AAdvice for the overambitious ... or a hint to 17-, 25-, 40- and 50-Across10 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.