Home/Archive/Sep 26, 2026

NYT Crossword — September 26, 2026

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 64 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 64 revealed

1S

2T

3E

4A

5M

6S

7W

8A

9S

10A

11B

12I

13S

H

A

P

E

L

14Y

15E

L

E

V

E

N

16W

E

R

E

G

O

O

17D

18N

I

N

E

R

S

19B

E

M

Y

G

U

E

20S

T

21T

R

E

E

22T

E

X

A

N

23L

A

P

24H

I

A

T

T

25W

E

A

N

26S

I

D

E

27B

A

N

G

S

28I

B

M

29T

E

E

H

E

E

H

E

E

30T

R

A

D

E

D

E

A

L

31P

E

A

R

T

A

R

T

S

32D

33N

34A

35W

E

B

I

S

O

D

E

S

36H

A

U

L

37T

A

L

O

N

38M

I

A

39C

A

T

T

Y

40A

V

O

W

41G

E

N

D

42E

R

G

A

P

43R

E

T

I

44N

A

45G

E

T

A

G

R

I

46P

47P

H

O

N

E

D

48R

A

T

I

O

N

S

49S

I

N

G

E

S

50S

E

S

T

E

T

Across

31 clues

1Prepares, as shumai

7Paste commonly simulated by a blend of horseradish, mustard and green dye

16Pair's reassurance

18N.F.C. West team, informally

19"Go right ahead …"

21Pecan, but not pumpkin

22Selena Gomez or Beyoncé, by birth

24John ___, singer with the hit albums "Perfectly Good Guitar" and "Mystic Pinball"

25Withdraw (from)

26Part of an asymmetrical hairstyle

28Early giant in punch-card tabulating systems

30Element of economic globalization

31Desserts that may feature frangipane

32Part of what makes you you

35Online show pieces

36Result of a shopping spree

38The Marlins, on scoreboards

41STEM field concern

43It's in the eye of the beholder

45Pull it together

48Camp distribution

50Verse from Emily Dickinson or Emma Lazarus

Down

33 clues

1Duluth-to-Minneapolis dir.

2Broadcaster with a onetime coat-of-arms logo, informally

3Otoscopy, e.g.

4Anthropopithecus, e.g.

5Actress Price of the 2000s sitcom "Grounded for Life"

8Subject of the 1996 documentary "When We Were Kings"

11Some Basque headwear

12Exclave's spot in an atlas, often

14Critical response concerning a piece of fiction?

17Riding free as an employee, in airline lingo

20Real page-turner?

22Lead-in to light

24Gag reflexes?

27Roots for vegan burgers

29Part of a bridal outfit

30Signature QB move included as a feature in 2012's Madden NFL 13 video game

31Main pack in a bicycle race

32A bit corrupt, perhaps?

33Evergreen whose cones bear edible seeds

34Olympic gymnast Raisman

35Silently greet someone

36Pudding typically served with "neeps and tatties"

37Highly prized rewards on "Survivor"

39"This Side Up" container

46Lake Tahoe winter hrs.

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

Stats & info

Saturday, Sep 26, 2026

15×15

Grid size

64

Total entries

36/189

Black / letter cells

5.9

Avg entry length

11 ltrs

Longest entry

Hardest

Saturday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedSep 26, 2026

DaySaturday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorBrian Callahan

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split31 across · 33 down

Longest entries

14DCritical response concerning a piece of fiction?11 ltrs 17DRiding free as an employee, in airline lingo11 ltrs 20DReal page-turner?11 ltrs 19A"Go right ahead …"9 ltrs 26APart of an asymmetrical hairstyle9 ltrs

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 5.9 letters per entry.