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NYT Crossword — September 16, 2026

Wednesday’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
1E
2T
3A
4T
5O
6P
7P
8L
9E
10R
11E
12F
13I
14S
H
UT
15S
P
R
O
UT
S
16A
X
O
N
17P
R
O
18T
O
T
Y
P
E
S
19T
E
R
N
20N
O
P
E
21T
N
T
22O
23N
I
C
E
24A
S
T
25R
O
N
A
26UT
27Y
O
UT
H
28T
Y
R
A
29E
R
U
30P
T
31I
A
32M
33A
I
34R
35T
R
E
36B
O
N
O
37A
38L
39A
D
D
I
40N
41N
O
42C
A
N
D
O
43D
E
N
S
44P
E
45C
46N
O
S
47S
T
Y
48P
E
A
R
49S
50R
E
51P
52O
53S
M
54O
G
55R
E
T
56A
I
N
E
R
57R
I
N
S
58E
59W
A
R
60J
A
D
61A
62J
O
N
I
63N
64E
C
T
A
65R
I
N
E
S
66P
L
UT
O
67Y
O
UT
U
B
E
68UT
A
H
69G
L
E
N
70A
S
S
E
S
S
71S
L
Y

Across

40 clues
1Important info to have while you're waiting in a cellphone lot, for short
4Fall or fell
10Cause of a sudden change in interest, informally?
14Close
15Pho soup garnishes
16Conduit of neural signals
17Early models
19Relative of a gull
20"Ain't gonna happen"
21Big bang cause
22Chilling
24The remotest of remote jobs?
27Kid
28Supermodel Banks
29Break into loud cheers, as a crowd
31Answer to "Who's ready to go?"
33Broadcast
35Uno + due
36Mononymous Irish singer
37Animated film that was the highest-grossing movie of 1992
41"Impossible!"
43Hibernation spots
44Dip target, maybe
46Things entered in a sudoku grid: Abbr.
47Messy dorm room, figuratively
48Fruits often seen in still lifes
50Take back, for short
53City haze
55Canine guard?
57Dishwasher cycle
59"A form of madness," it's said
60Actress Pinkett Smith of "Girls Trip"
62Singer/songwriter Mitchell
63Fruits named after a mythical drink
66Noted cartoon dog
67Its first video, "Me at the zoo," has over 400 million views
68State whose outline can be made by connecting seven particular squares in this puzzle
69Valley
70Give a once-over
71Crafty

Down

38 clues
1Channel with "2" and "U" spinoffs
2Pharynx setting
3Post-mortem
4General on a Chinese menu
5Decide one will
6Hester of "The Scarlet Letter"
7Grab-and-go breakfast option
8Guitar relative
9Gas brand seen in Edward Hopper's "Portrait of Orleans"
10Betting odds, e.g.
11Concern for a gymnastics judge
12Certain pickleball shot
13Greenwich Village's Stonewall, e.g.
18Groups of four
23Paper competing with the W.S.J.
25Debugger?
26Remedy for a missed exit
30Lowly worker
32Farm sound
34Ready to eat
36Small hound that doesn't bark
37What a premium subscription may help you avoid
38"Time to go!"
39Very soon
40By
42What "Coco" is a nickname for, for tennis's Coco Gauff
45Military hairstyles
48Family-friendly movie ratings
49The Sphinx, for one
51Classic comic strip that's the source for nine Emmys and two Tonys
52Folding a fitted sheet, it may seem
54Edible bulb
56Many Moroccans
58Mononymous Irish singer
61Grayish
62Profile pic format, in brief
64Dawn deity
65In medias ___

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Sep 16, 2026
15×15
Grid size
78
Total entries
39/186
Black / letter cells
4.9
Avg entry length
10 ltrs
Longest entry
Medium
Wednesday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedSep 16, 2026
DayWednesday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorPeter Gorman
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split40 across · 38 down
Longest entries
17AEarly models10 ltrs63AFruits named after a mythical drink10 ltrs24AThe remotest of remote jobs?9 ltrs11DConcern for a gymnastics judge9 ltrs39DVery soon9 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 39 black squares and averages 4.9 letters per entry.