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NYT Crossword — May 4, 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

1C

2O

3A

4S

5T

6A

7B

8B

9A

10G

11A

12P

13S

14O

A

T

E

S

15F

O

B

S

16A

M

A

T

17C

H

I

C

K

18F

L

I

C

K

19L

E

N

A

20O

U

T

21L

A

N

22I

O

N

I

C

23B

24R

I

C

K

25B

26Y

B

R

I

C

K

27I

28T

29S

L

I

T

30L

U

M

E

T

31N

I

K

O

N

32S

33C

A

R

34Y

35R

36S

37C

L

I

C

K

38I

T

O

R

T

39I

40C

K

E

T

41A

L

P

42H

U

G

E

43M

A

I

N

E

44S

45A

46T

O

N

47M

O

P

T

O

P

48P

49I

C

K

U

P

S

50T

51I

C

K

S

52A

D

L

I

B

53E

T

A

54W

55A

56S

57D

E

A

N

58G

59E

T

S

T

60H

61E

I

C

K

62M

A

S

T

63P

R

O

M

64B

E

L

A

Y

65A

L

S

O

66S

A

N

E

67O

L

D

I

E

Across

35 clues

1"The ___ is clear!"

6"Mamma Mia" group

10Spaces, as between teeth

14Author Joyce Carol ___

15Devices for keyless entry

16Amo, amas, ___

17"Sleepless in Seattle" or "Legally Blonde," informally

19Actress Dunham or Waithe

20Call from an ump

21Group of connected PCs

22Like some columns and bonds

23Methodical way for something to be built

27"This place is fire"

30Sidney who directed "12 Angry Men" and "The Wiz"

31Japanese camera giant

32"The Lion King" villain

34Soph., jr. and sr.

37Slogan encouraging the use of seatbelts

43New England state with the slogan "The Way Life Should Be"

44Used, as a chair

47Shaggy hairstyle

48Simple game requiring steady hands

52Improvise, as a speech

53When a plane is due, for short

57College figure

58Suddenly feels repulsed by a romantic partner … or a hint to 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across

62Pole on a sailboat

63Tradition for many high school seniors

64Fasten, as a ship's rope

67"Goodie" on classic radio

Down

43 clues

12017 Pixar film set in Mexico

2Third-largest Hawaiian island

3Going ___ (fighting)

4Part of a min.

6Insurance company whose mascot is a duck

7Sound effect for a bop on the head

11Bag of hotel room freebies, say

12Feel a suddenly overwhelming fear

13Serving of pancakes

18Move like a fairy

22Tech giant founded in 1911

24Skating locale

25Play loudly, as from a speaker

26Traditional circular dwelling

27Ancient Peruvian

32Shocks into silence

33Part of a gearwheel

35Nevada city near Lake Tahoe

36Bit of a staircase

38Flapjack franchise

39Reassurance after a loud crash, say

40Puts a limit on

46Spot for three men in a nursery rhyme

47Exam for a future doc

48Culinary personality Lakshmi

49Best imaginable

50Wyoming's Grand ___ National Park

51"Hi, you know who this is"

54Undomesticated

55Smoothie "superfood"

56Scottish terrier breed

59Long time in history

60Network for "Succession" and "The Wire"

61Slithery fish

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

Stats & info

Monday, May 4, 2026

15×15

Grid size

78

Total entries

38/187

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easiest

Monday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 4, 2026

DayMonday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorKate Schutzengel

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 43 down

Longest entries

37ASlogan encouraging the use of seatbelts15 ltrs 23AMethodical way for something to be built12 ltrs 48ASimple game requiring steady hands12 ltrs 17A"Sleepless in Seattle" or "Legally Blonde," informally10 ltrs 58ASuddenly feels repulsed by a romantic partner … or a hint to 17-, 23-, 37- and 48-Across10 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.