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NYT Crossword — September 2, 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

1M

2A

3N

4D

5M

6S

7P

8A

9D

10B

11A

12T

13H

14M

A

T

R

O

N

15O

N

E

16A

S

I

A

17S

A

H

A

R

A

18R

I

C

19O

C

H

E

T

20M

A

G

21I

C

M

A

R

K

E

R

S

22D

23E

A

L

24S

H

A

D

E

S

25T

U

X

26S

27I

S

28L

E

G

29A

30K

31A

32A

R

I

33A

34C

U

35E

36O

37G

L

E

D

38M

I

S

C

39H

I

E

F

40M

41A

N

A

G

E

D

42P

A

T

T

Y

43T

O

M

44D

O

P

E

45A

N

S

46P

47D

48A

49U

P

50S

51R

I

D

52S

H

A

R

53E

R

54A

55T

E

N

56M

57I

58C

K

E

Y

M

A

N

59T

L

E

60I

L

L

I

N

O

I

S

61R

I

P

62S

63A

64W

65C

L

O

P

66L

E

E

67A

V

I

A

T

E

68E

S

T

S

69D

S

L

70M

A

D

M

E

N

Across

37 clues

1"Melts in your mouth" candies … or a hint to this puzzle's theme

7Mattress or memo follower

10Maine city near the mouth of the Kennebec River

14Mama Morton of "Chicago," for one

15Meaning of "mono-"

16Marco Polo made his way across it

18Meet and glance off a bumper, as a pool ball might

20Multicolored implements in many art drawers

22Markdown on Cyber Monday, e.g.

24Maroon and mahogany, for two

25Man's "monkey suit"

26Mom-to-aunt moniker

28Muscular part of a marathoner

29Marshall Mathers ___ Eminem

34Make sure not to miss it!

36Made eyes at in the manner of a satyr

38Marauder's Map encryption phrase in "Harry Potter"

42Minced-meat cake

44"Mega cool!," in modern lingo

45Multiple-choice selection on a midterm, say: Abbr.

46Making out openly or a mobile device, in brief

49Modern-day name for the American Messenger Co.

51Make free (of), maybe

52Munificent man

54Maximum measure of attractiveness, say

56M.L.B. M.V.P. nicknamed the "Commerce Comet"

60Midwest state that's home to Moline

61Many-toothed metal tool

65Much-heard sound from a horse in motion

66Martial arts master Bruce

67Maneuver a monoplane, e.g.

68Mechanics might provide them for their work: Abbr.

69Modern modem inits.

70Maniacs, maybe

Down

41 clues

1Metric measurements: Abbr.

2Motorists make up this org.

3Maximum degree in math

4Molière's or Mamet's field

5Maxims discouraging misconduct

7Many a mailbox locale

8Marmot or marmoset

9Month multiplied by 120

10Musters support for, as a mission

11Men's tennis champ with a Presidential Medal of Freedom

12Measure of a membership

13Milliners manufacture them

19Milwaukie and Mount Hood are here

21Matter to mull over

22Malodorous Malaysian fruit

23Manifests in the material world

25Major metropolis on a bay of the same name

27Map word in Marseille

29Main man for Bill Clinton, 1993-2001

30Maintain, as movie footage

31Made a basic math calculation

33Magician's or marionettist's performance

35Movement of money digitally from bank to bank, in brief

37Meander mindlessly (about)

39Mild-mannered characteristic?

40Miss badly, maybe

41Music magnifier at a concert

47Made a mere 24 hours ago

48Military groups that meet in battle

50Mouth moistener

52Moves merrily

53Mobile stand at a meeting

55Meh … or medium-temp

56Miniature maze runners

57Major misfortunes

59Means of transport in a mine

62Musician Cooke who sang "You Send Me"

63Made a meal of

64Ming-Na of 1998's "Mulan"

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Sep 2, 2026

15×15

Grid size

78

Total entries

38/187

Black / letter cells

4.8

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Medium

Wednesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 2, 2026

DayWednesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorMac Motz

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 41 down

Longest entries

38AMarauder's Map encryption phrase in "Harry Potter"15 ltrs 20AMulticolored implements in many art drawers12 ltrs 56AM.L.B. M.V.P. nicknamed the "Commerce Comet"12 ltrs 18AMeet and glance off a bumper, as a pool ball might8 ltrs 60AMidwest state that's home to Moline8 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.