Home/Archive/May 22, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 22, 2026

Friday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 75 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 75 revealed

1B

2I

3C

4E

5P

6S

7M

8E

9S

10O

11B

12R

13I

14E

15E

T

A

L

I

I

16O

A

K

F

17O

R

E

S

T

18A

S

K

I

N

G

19F

O

R

A

F

R

I

E

N

D

20K

N

E

E

21M

O

N

T

22D

O

L

T

S

23S

O

S

24C

A

L

L

H

25O

26M

E

27T

I

28S

H

29K

I

L

M

E

R

30O

31L

32A

33O

H

C

O

O

34L

35G

I

N

A

36K

P

O

P

37K

I

L

L

W

I

38T

H

K

I

N

39D

N

E

S

S

40O

N

E

D

41N

O

T

E

42S

E

E

N

T

O

43K

G

S

44P

E

T

S

P

45A

46A

W

O

L

47U

N

S

O

L

V

48E

D

49F

U

50L

51O

52C

53C

54A

M

55N

A

I

R

56I

F

S

O

57A

L

L

B

A

58R

59K

A

N

D

N

60O

B

I

T

E

61F

O

O

L

S

M

A

T

E

62S

P

I

C

E

S

63S

T

Y

E

64S

L

A

T

65T

A

S

E

R

S

Across

35 clues

1Guns, so to speak

7Prefix with American

11Charcuterie spread

15Footnote phrase

16Sherwood, e.g.

18Qualifier to an embarrassing question

20Location for some osteoarthritis

21___-Saint-Michel (French commune on a tidal island)

23Sign of desperation

24Consider as one's residence

27Mrs. Addams, to Mr. Addams

29Val who played Iceman in "Top Gun"

30Guimarães greeting

35"Brooklyn Nine-Nine" character ___ Linetti

36Genre for Blackpink and Twice

37Counteract negativity using lavish generosity

40Former boy band with the members Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall and Zayn, familiarly

41Bit of marginalia

43Weight plate units: Abbr.

44Place to get "pawmpered," say

46Case for military police

47Like the Millennium Problems of the Clay Mathematics Institute

49Suffix with peace but not war

51Philosopher William of ___

55Product for manscaping

56Assuming that

57More sizzle than steak

61Infamous chess trap that ends the game in two moves

62Contents of a kitchen rack

63Bump on a lid

65What some streakers are charged with?

Down

40 clues

1Woodpeckers' peckers

2"Really, my pleasure"

3"Sticky" birthday treats?

4Tahari or Saab of fashion

6Symbol used in summation

7Classical piece said to be the inspiration for Chopin's "Fantaisie-Impromptu"

8Kepler-22b or Kepler-186f, e.g.

9Calypso cousin

12Highlight ___

13___ fussy (can be very flexible)

14Some airport data, in brief

17Carnivora or Lagomorpha

19Word with rock or medicine

24When doubled, a fluffy Chinese dog

25Hilton competitor

26Is

30Workplace with few barriers

31Became tarnished

33"I heard you the first time! Geez!"

34Wrapping material in mummification

38Deep-fried side dish, familiarly

39Unexciting, as a party

45Like some readers

48Young's partner in accounting

50Rich soil deposit

52Stop the bleeding, say

53Sicken with sweetness

56Sacred bird to the Egyptians

58Info on Zillow: Abbr.

59___-El (Superman)

60Shout at a Greek wedding

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

Stats & info

Friday, May 22, 2026

16×15

Grid size

75

Total entries

32/208

Black / letter cells

5.5

Avg entry length

16 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 22, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorGene Louise De Vera

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 40 down

Longest entries

18AQualifier to an embarrassing question16 ltrs 37ACounteract negativity using lavish generosity16 ltrs 57AMore sizzle than steak16 ltrs 7DClassical piece said to be the inspiration for Chopin's "Fantaisie-Impromptu"15 ltrs 8DKepler-22b or Kepler-186f, e.g.15 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 32 black squares and averages 5.5 letters per entry.