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NYT Crossword — May 29, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed

1C

2E

3S

4A

5R

6A

7C

8H

9E

10S

11A

12R

13A

14A

L

L

T

O

15O

S

O

O

N

16A

L

U

M

17S

M

A

L

L

W

O

R

L

D

18P

A

P

A

19H

O

P

20L

I

N

D

Y

21W

I

R

E

S

22L

I

N

E

23M

24A

H

O

M

E

S

25R

26A

27Z

I

N

G

28T

O

N

E

S

29I

C

I

N

G

30E

A

S

Y

R

E

31A

32D

33S

34T

R

O

T

S

35A

X

E

36E

X

T

R

A

37Z

E

N

S

T

38A

T

E

S

39D

U

M

A

S

40C

O

R

K

S

41R

O

A

S

T

S

42S

43C

44O

R

P

I

O

45R

O

I

L

46T

O

K

E

S

47S

48T

E

W

S

49R

50U

51E

52A

C

M

E

53W

H

A

T

D

I

54M

I

S

S

55N

O

O

N

56T

E

R

R

Y

G

R

O

S

S

57D

A

M

S

58F

R

A

Y

59N

I

T

R

O

Across

35 clues

1"Oscar" of the French film industry

6Feeling after a long hike

10Singer/composer Bareilles

16Many a fund-raising target, informally

17"We have a mutual friend?!"

18Smurf who is more than 500 years old

19See 20-Across

20With 19-Across, swing dance originating in Harlem

21They're cut to defuse an explosive

22Cue ... or queue

23Only player to win three Super Bowl M.V.P. awards before turning 30

25Reducing to rubble

28Apt anagram of NOTES

29Hockey infraction

30Breezy things enjoyed at the beach

34Doesn't go at full speed

37They might make you one with everything

39"La Tulipe Noire" novelist, 1850

40Party poppers

41Makes fun of mercilessly

47Won't let it go

49Zendaya's role on "Euphoria"

52Fictional manufacturer of a Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit

53"Can you catch me up?"

55Time of day either way

56Author of "All I Did Was Ask: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians and Artists"

57Barriers to entry, in a way

58Unravel at the edges

59Variety of cold brew

Down

37 clues

1It is king, in a phrase

2Redheaded monster on TV

4Birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.: Abbr.

5Road maneuvers featuring lazy braking

6Without dissenting voices

7It's cut after birth

9What a circle lacks

10Someone attracted to intellect over looks, say

11Dream interrupter

12Currency in The Legend of Zelda

15Outstanding, in a way

21Eager buyer's question

22Traps in a laundry room

24Not a particular one

25Snack brand since 1934

26It might be a lot

27Last U.S. national park, alphabetically

28Return payments?

30Adhere to the kashrut dietary rules

31They're filled with bacon

32"Curses, foiled again!"

38Co-star of 2025's "Wicked: For Good," informally

41Neither demure nor mindful

42Come to attention, in a way

43Powder in a pantry

44Child's agreement

45Avoid rage-quitting, perhaps

48Longtime college basketball coach VanDerveer

50Hammer-and-sickle land, for short

51Gas brand whose name sounds like two letters of the alphabet

53"R U KIDDING ME?!"

54Way to look inward, in brief?

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

Stats & info

Friday, May 29, 2026

15×15

Grid size

72

Total entries

32/193

Black / letter cells

5.4

Avg entry length

12 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 29, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorHemant Mehta

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 37 down

Longest entries

5DRoad maneuvers featuring lazy braking12 ltrs 21DEager buyer's question12 ltrs 10DSomeone attracted to intellect over looks, say11 ltrs 22DTraps in a laundry room11 ltrs 14APrematurely10 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 5.4 letters per entry.