Home/Archive/May 9, 2026

NYT Crossword — May 9, 2026

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 70 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 70 revealed

1A

2L

3C

4H

5E

6M

7I

8S

9T

10S

11B

12I

13R

14D

15M

E

R

E

M

O

R

T

A

L

16A

L

O

O

17Y

O

U

R

E

E

A

R

L

Y

18B

L

O

G

19S

I

X

E

R

20T

A

K

E

21A

R

F

S

22G

23R

E

W

24S

25T

R

A

T

I

26P

27A

28W

29N

E

E

30B

31Y

T

E

32C

O

T

33O

R

E

O

34F

35R

E

E

36A

37D

E

P

T

38K

I

N

D

39A

S

O

R

T

40A

M

A

Y

B

E

41E

S

T

E

R

42A

R

I

L

43B

O

A

R

44R

H

O

45S

46P

R

Y

47S

48C

O

U

R

S

49P

A

N

50E

E

R

51S

52K

O

R

53A

P

T

S

54I

55M

H

O

56A

57T

58O

59L

60L

61R

I

O

T

62S

C

A

R

63Y

M

O

V

I

E

64T

R

U

E

65M

A

K

E

U

P

G

A

M

E

66Y

O

R

E

67S

T

E

A

K

S

A

L

A

D

Across

35 clues

1Gold meddlers?

11One making calls on the fly?

15You or me, e.g.

16___ paratha (potato-filled flatbread)

17Exclamation of surprise from a host

18Place for a post

19Dr. J, for all of his N.B.A. career

21Husky hellos?

22Reached new heights

24Low-level clouds

26Central Plains nation governed by the Nasharo Council

32Portable retirement option

33Black-and-white debut of 1912

34Like something no money can buy

38List of qualifications?

41Fragrant compound released during fermentation

42Pomegranate morsel

43Certain razorback

44Letter in Socrates' and Aristotle's names

45Still active after all these years

47Looks all over

49___ paratha (cheese-filled flatbread)

51Great find in the candy aisle, by the sound of it

53Things to let: Abbr.

54"I could be wrong, but ...," for short

56Tropical ring

622000 parody of a 62-Across

64"That's for sure"

65Postponed court date?

66No time like the present

67Skirt with a bunch of leaves, perhaps

Down

35 clues

1___ Kitchen, brand of organic foods since 1987

2Name of a pope and a Roman emperor whose terms of leadership overlapped

4"This is for you"

6One of the Three Stooges

8Parlor treat typically served with the first five letters of its name

10Least straightforward, say

11Weighty subject of some children's books

12Statement that may be followed by a dash

13Where spirits are high?

14Vacationers' hires, perhaps

23Makes some calls

25Kings of Los Angeles, e.g.

26Event at which you hope to get good deals?

27Radio journalist with the 2023 memoir "The Best Strangers in the World: Stories From a Life Spent Listening"

28Traveled to perform

29Central point

31Legendary Himalayan climber

35Sound made by many fans

37Clemson's ___ Swinney (winningest head football coach in A.C.C. history)

40Setup for an extra point

46Color separators

48What may slow the pace of some legs in a marathon

50Perfume with an accent on its fourth letter

55What some bio majors do prep work for

57Garment that once indicated citizenship

58A zero is one

59Kilo follower

60Certification program developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, in brief

63New ___ University of Knuckleheads (fictional institution where Leslie Nielsen lectured about the Three Stooges)

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

Stats & info

Saturday, May 9, 2026

15×15

Grid size

70

Total entries

28/197

Black / letter cells

5.6

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedMay 9, 2026

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorKatie Hoody

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 35 down

Longest entries

38AList of qualifications?15 ltrs 8DParlor treat typically served with the first five letters of its name15 ltrs 1AGold meddlers?10 ltrs 15AYou or me, e.g.10 ltrs 17AExclamation of surprise from a host10 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 28 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.