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NYT Crossword — September 21, 2026

Monday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 76 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 76 revealed

1A

2S

3I

4A

5W

6I

7M

8P

9P

10A

11G

12E

13S

14D

A

M

N

15A

C

A

I

16A

T

A

R

I

17T

O

O

T

18I

R

E

D

T

19O

T

H

I

N

K

20N

A

M

21A

C

L

22L

U

S

H

23T

24E

A

C

H

25T

26O

T

H

E

27T

E

S

T

28R

A

D

I

O

A

D

29S

A

T

30A

V

I

D

31C

O

32M

33B

34R

E

35N

36E

37W

38D

E

E

39F

O

R

T

I

40E

S

41A

G

E

42E

S

T

43E

R

44S

A

R

I

45C

T

R

L

46X

E

47S

48C

R

49E

A

T

E

S

50T

51O

T

E

L

52L

53T

H

E

T

R

U

T

H

54S

E

A

R

55O

E

R

56A

P

R

57T

A

K

E

58S

T

W

O

59T

60O

T

A

N

61G

62O

63U

S

E

M

E

64I

P

A

D

65R

E

E

D

66N

E

N

E

S

67S

E

N

D

68T

R

E

E

Across

35 clues

1Where Mongolia is

9Leafs (through)

14Album for which Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize

15Berry at a smoothie shop

16Company behind the game Pong

17Mentally pooped

201960s service site, informally

21Common injury site for a basketball player, informally

22Thick, as plant growth

23Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam

28Commercial that may come with a jingle

34Continue a subscription

38Barely passing grade

39Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across

41Around 18, typically, for a high school graduate

42Sometimes-floral organic compound

44Draped Indian garment

45___-X (computer command to cut text)

46Crosses (out)

48Conjures up, say

50"If I'm being honest ..."

54Cook, in a way, as ahi tuna

55Opposite of 'neath

57"A fight requires more than one person"

63"I'm available to help"

64Modern note-taking aid

65Plant in a marsh

66Spanish babies

67What a paper airplane icon may indicate

68Thing in a grove

Down

41 clues

1Big letters in home security

2___ Paulo, Brazil

3Comment that might follow "None for me, thanks"

4Relief for an upset stomach

5Simple two-player card game

8Throw from a mound

11First name of Julius Caesar

13Worshiper in a turban

18Texter's qualifier

19Cries in a fútbol stadium

24Roof overhangs

25It may have a hard or soft shell

26Things indicated by squiggly lines in cartoons

27Paves the way?

32N.Y.C. subway letters

33Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper

35Leader of an 1831 revolt against slavery

36Spearfishing bird

37People of SW Britain

39Without charge

40The Emerald Isle

43Like skydiving or cliff-diving

45Dashboard or bumper

47Place to put a coin

51Like some wine barrels

52___ and Clark

53Familiar narrative device

54Leave dumbfounded

58French possessive

59Catch some rays

62Poetic tribute

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

Stats & info

Monday, Sep 21, 2026

15×15

Grid size

76

Total entries

36/189

Black / letter cells

5.0

Avg entry length

15 ltrs

Longest entry

Easiest

Monday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 21, 2026

DayMonday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorAlexander Liebeskind

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 41 down

Longest entries

17AMentally pooped15 ltrs 57A"A fight requires more than one person"15 ltrs 23ADeliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam14 ltrs 50A"If I'm being honest ..."14 ltrs 3DComment that might follow "None for me, thanks"9 ltrs

Monday grids are the gentlest of the week: straightforward definitions, familiar fill and almost no wordplay. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.0 letters per entry.