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NYT Crossword — September 18, 2026

Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 68 revealed

1I

2T

3S

4H

5O

6T

7S

8E

9G

10U

11E

12D

13Q

R

C

O

D

E

14S

O

T

O

S

A

Y

15S

E

E

R

E

D

16J

U

N

E

B

U

G

S

17E

N

D

S

18D

A

M

S

19A

R

L

O

20T

R

A

E

21M

A

C

S

22I

N

P

E

N

23A

I

R

24B

A

R

K

25P

G

A

26U

N

I

27T

E

D

N

A

28T

I

O

N

29S

30G

O

A

L

L

I

N

E

S

T

A

N

31D

32S

P

L

I

T

D

E

C

I

S

I

O

33N

34D

E

B

35C

H

E

N

36F

A

A

37O

38R

39C

A

S

40F

O

E

S

41K

F

C

S

42F

E

R

N

43P

I

K

E

44D

A

T

A

45A

L

A

C

46A

R

T

E

47D

A

R

E

M

48E

49G

A

Z

E

B

O

S

50O

N

E

S

E

C

51E

Y

E

D

U

P

52C

A

N

T

O

O

Across

33 clues

1Server's warning at a restaurant

7Moved along (to)

13Modern tech aid whose design was inspired by a Go board

14Figuratively speaking

15Begin to boil

16Insects named for when they emerge

18Water containers

19Dinosaur in Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur"

20Four-time N.B.A. All-Star Young

21Line at an Apple Store

22Permanent, perhaps

23Contents of some pockets

25Org. whose events are typically held at clubs

26Country club?

30Defensive effort in the red zone

32Not everyone agrees on this

35"Big Brother" host Julie

36Org. concerned with traffic

37Ones catching rays, perhaps?

40Two in a row?

41Places to buy buckets, familiarly

42Common plant for a "plant mom"

43Long-bodied fish

44Cookie contents

45Not together, in a way

47"Is that a challenge?!"

49Some features of backyard landscaping

50"I'll be right with you"

51Gave the once-over

52"Don't believe me? Just watch!"

Down

35 clues

1Brightness measures, in brief

2Element of a dating profile?

3Potential outcomes

5___ of Solomon, literary collection written in the first or second century

6Sci-fi writer Chiang

7"&" follower, in some business names

8When much rainy weather occurs in Côte d'Ivoire

11High-ranking scout

12Company whose products suck

14Additional schoolwork?

16Simple cocktail named for two brands

20Torque symbol, in physics

21Bit of nonsense writing that typically gets a laugh

22Delighted cry upon receiving an acceptance

25Leap day baby, e.g.

27Clicked with a partner?

29Simple check for freshness

31Act like yourself, perhaps?

33Nasty ___ (noted rap moniker)

37Not in the minority?

38It often has four legs

39Fidget spinners or Angry Birds, once

40Give ___ (cause consternation in)

41Character played by Rashida Jones on "The Office"

44Longtime U.F.C. C.E.O. ___ White

46Aladdin's sidekick

47Many a nonfiction Oscar nominee, informally

48Lead-in to "lab" in the name of an S&P 500 company

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

Stats & info

Friday, Sep 18, 2026

15×15

Grid size

68

Total entries

38/187

Black / letter cells

5.5

Avg entry length

13 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 18, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorRyan Mathiason

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split33 across · 35 down

Longest entries

26ACountry club?13 ltrs 30ADefensive effort in the red zone13 ltrs 32ANot everyone agrees on this13 ltrs 16DSimple cocktail named for two brands11 ltrs 3DPotential outcomes9 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 5.5 letters per entry.