Home/Archive/May 31, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 31, 2026

Sunday’s 21 × 21 puzzle, 140 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 140 revealed

1I

2N

3C

4A

5S

6A

7H

8A

9B

10J

11O

12C

13K

14S

15O

16S

17T

E

M

P

E

18H

19C

E

N

A

20E

U

R

O

21S

Y

N

C

22S

W

I

T

Z

E

23R

L

A

N

D

24T

R

E

A

25S

U

R

E

R

26S

A

N

S

27P

A

S

T

U

R

28E

S

29A

L

I

B

A

B

A

30A

G

O

31T

A

J

32M

A

R

K

33S

M

A

N

S

H

I

P

34D

E

R

35B

Y

36A

37T

38F

39P

R

I

U

S

40G

I

S

T

S

41A

R

42C

H

E

R

43Y

44S

S

N

45P

E

D

46M

47U

R

A

L

48S

U

E

49R

50O

A

R

E

51D

52U

N

C

53U

54P

L

I

T

55S

56T

A

R

R

57S

E

58A

59S

60D

E

A

61D

B

E

A

T

62V

I

A

63A

C

64H

65C

N

N

66S

P

A

R

R

O

W

67F

68R

I

S

K

69T

H

E

70B

I

G

APPLE

71A

I

R

72E

W

E

73U

A

E

74E

75Y

E

E

X

A

M

S

76W

E

T

77S

78N

E

79L

L

Y

80P

A

E

S

E

81G

U

T

82H

E

83R

E

S

Y

84A

B

E

85S

86I

S

S

Y

87N

O

R

88I

89A

90M

91R

O

S

92S

I

N

I

93S

94C

95A

T

S

96E

N

D

E

97D

98W

H

O

99H

T

100T

101P

102S

103S

H

O

O

T

104I

N

G

S

T

A

105R

106L

107S

D

108R

A

W

109H

A

R

V

E

S

T

110P

A

R

A

111S

112I

T

E

113C

U

R

E

114A

F

T

E

R

L

I

115F

E

116W

I

L

L

I

A

117M

T

E

L

L

118P

E

A

R

119A

R

E

A

120I

M

O

K

121M

O

R

T

A

L

122E

D

S

123M

E

E

K

124N

I

T

S

125P

L

O

Y

S

Across

71 clues

1Sacsayhuamán fortress builders

6Literary forerunner of Captain Hook

10Many an Alpha Beta in "Revenge of the Nerds"

14Help-wanted letters

17Fermented vegan protein

19Wrestler/actor John

20Coin with 12 stars around the border

22Home of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across

24One involved with checks and balances

29Hero of Arabian tales

32Expertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision

34Home Run ___ (annual M.L.B. event)

36D.O.J. agency

39Fuel-efficient Toyota

41Athletic skill mastered by 116-Across

45Banned substance, in sports lingo

46Diego Rivera project

48Apt name for a lawyer

49Laughed loudly

52N.C.A.A. hoops powerhouse

53Like the Statue of Liberty at night

55Beatle who sang "Yellow Submarine"

57Sailor's septet

60Go-getter's opposite

63"Drat!," in Dortmund

65"The Situation Room" airer

66Chirruping bird

69City sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle

71Stuff in a puff

73Home to the Burj Khalifa, in brief

74Appointments that may lead to better contacts

80Bel ___ cheese

82Religious dissent

84$5 bill, slangily

85Actress Spacek

87Negative logic gate in electrical engineering

88Cartesian conclusion

91Composer of an overture dedicated to 116-Across

96Came to a conclusion

99Start of an encrypted URL

103Streaker in the night sky … or a punny description of 116-Across

108Unprocessed, as data

109Inspiration for many seasonal festivals

110Oscar-winning 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho

113Smoke, perhaps

114What may begin at the end

116Legendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle

118Orchard selection

119Lot calculation

120"All's well with me"

122Masthead figs.

Down

69 clues

1"What a bummer"

3Key with three flats

4Studios and penthouses: Abbr.

6Knee parts, for short

7Part of a track meet

8Per ___ (accounting term)

9Undeserved condemnation

10Watercraft that leave "rooster tails" in their wakes

11"___ home and native land!"

12Absolutely whomps, in sports lingo

13"Bear" that's not a bear

14Some red wines

15Smallest quantity of digital data

16Abandons, as a project

18Purifying filter acronym

23Jasmine's tiger companion in "Aladdin"

25Big name in sewing machines

31TV host Banks

33Longtime jazz bandleader with an Egyptian-inspired name

35Where Cary Grant orders a Gibson in a classic scene from "North by Northwest"

37Magnetic unit named for an inventor

38Productive … or a punny description of the feat performed by 116-Across?

42Many a liquor license applicant

45Board game with ancient origins

46Gooey chocolate dessert

51Tenth, in Latin

54Small flycatchers named for their call, not their size

56What 116-Across did before and after this puzzle's feat?

59Popular beverage brand

64Bad spelling?

66Lead-in to bones or bucks

70Abandons a project, slangily

79Full of tall tales

80It's better than a bogey

86Like most modern TV broadcasts

89"Money-back guarantee" and "Limited-time offer"

90Self-referential

92Conductor Georg

93Snaky double curve

94Really irritated

97Australian city named for a scientist

100Closely following

101Gambler's combo bet

102Waves sought by surfers

104Five Pillars religion

105"Spider-Man" director Sam

107Stitcher's line

111Tee time or airtime, e.g.

117Bucket list item?

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

Stats & info

Sunday, May 31, 2026

21×21

Grid size

140

Total entries

82/359

Black / letter cells

5.2

Avg entry length

12 ltrs

Longest entry

Themed

Sunday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 31, 2026

DaySunday

ThemeTarget Practice

ConstructorJeffrey Martinovic and Evan Park

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split71 across · 69 down

Longest entries

32AExpertise demonstrated by 116-Across in a fabled feat of precision12 ltrs 103AStreaker in the night sky … or a punny description of 116-Across12 ltrs 22AHome of the legendary folk hero at 116-Across11 ltrs 69ACity sobriquet that might describe the target for 116-Across, as depicted in this puzzle11 ltrs 116ALegendary figure who's the subject of this puzzle11 ltrs

Sunday is the big one, a 21 by 21 grid built around a named theme rather than raw difficulty. This grid has 82 black squares and averages 5.2 letters per entry.