Home/Archive/Sep 23, 2026

NYT Crossword — September 23, 2026

Wednesday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 74 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 74 revealed

1B

2L

3A

4H

5M

6I

7N

8E

9S

10C

11C

12E

13D

14R

O

N

A

15A

T

A

R

I

16L

A

V

A

17A

U

D

I

18E

E

N

I

E

19A

T

A

D

20S

P

O

R

21T

S

M

A

N

S

22H

I

P

23H

E

R

M

I

T

S

24T

I

M

E

25L

26Y

27E

A

R

28T

29O

A

D

30R

O

E

31J

32E

33S

T

34O

35P

E

N

S

E

36A

S

O

N

37I

L

I

A

38D

39E

M

T

40F

R

O

N

T

41B

A

L

L

O

42O

N

P

O

43P

44E

N

Y

A

45E

T

E

46U

H

N

O

47R

48A

W

49D

E

N

50A

L

I

51V

A

P

E

52P

53E

54N

55T

H

A

T

56S

57F

A

I

R

G

A

M

E

58E

59N

B

Y

60S

I

L

L

S

61O

N

C

E

62O

B

O

E

63O

L

I

V

E

64O

K

E

D

65N

A

B

S

66N

O

T

E

D

67D

O

E

S

Across

37 clues

5Labors like the Seven Dwarfs

10Looped in via email

14Covid-19, colloquially

15Brand acquired by Hasbro in 1998

16Mauna Loa output

17Car with a logo similar to the Olympic rings

18Start of a counting rhyme

20Honorable conduct on the field

27Musician's gift

28Super Mario character with a mushroom for a head

34When hunting restrictions are lifted

37Epic poem originally passed down orally

41Carnival diversion requiring precision

44One-named singer who lives in an Irish castle

45Bikini season, in Bordeaux

46"Hmm ... I pass"

47Word before data or deal

49Peak in the Alaska Range

51Slender e-cig

55"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?

58Genderqueer identity, informally

60Windowside perches

61"Back in my day ..."

62Instrument also called the "sprightly companion"

63Greek salad morsel

64Gave the green light

65Catches red-handed

67They go for bucks

Down

37 clues

2Jeweler's magnifying glass

3"Star Wars" series starring Diego Luna

4Music genre named for its voluminous dos

5Distinguished conductor

7Nickname for grandma

8Environmental activist Brockovich

9Naps, in Nicaragua

11One preferring purrs to pooches

12Actress Mendes

22720p+ resolution, informally

26Gossip, from the Yiddish

28It's kept by a metronome

29Not fooled by

31Meshed (with)

33Jay's reticent partner of filmdom

35Ivy League school with a dolphin on its coat of arms, informally

36"Is everything cool between us?"

38Nonmedical childbirth assistant

42"Them's fightin' words!"

48Arbor Day mo.

50"Now I remember"

51Part of a heart or faucet

52Japanese bread crumbs

53Host with a mic

54More than wants

56Rural structure seen in a Grant Wood lithograph

58Seemingly for-EH-ver

59Thunder setting, in brief

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Sep 23, 2026

15×15

Grid size

74

Total entries

34/191

Black / letter cells

5.2

Avg entry length

13 ltrs

Longest entry

Medium

Wednesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 23, 2026

DayWednesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorDana Edwards

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split37 across · 37 down

Longest entries

20AHonorable conduct on the field13 ltrs 55A"You're free to criticize it" ... or a comment one might make about 20-, 34- and 41-Across?13 ltrs 34AWhen hunting restrictions are lifted10 ltrs 41ACarnival diversion requiring precision10 ltrs 4DMusic genre named for its voluminous dos9 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 34 black squares and averages 5.2 letters per entry.