Home/Archive/Sep 5, 2026

NYT Crossword — September 5, 2026

Saturday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 72 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 72 revealed
1S
2C
3H
4M
5O
6O
7Z
8E
9D
10M
11A
12G
13M
14A
15W
H
O
A
T
H
E
R
E
16B
L
E
A
T
17A
L
L
T
H
O
S
E
A
18G
A
I
N
S
T
19N
O
L
T
E
20T
A
L
L
21S
E
S
H
22K
E
Y
23R
24O
A
D
25E
26N
T
R
E
E
27W
28A
S
H
29E
30T
N
A
31A
M
T
32I
33D
O
L
34M
35O
R
E
36D
37A
L
A
I
38C
O
O
T
39I
E
S
40A
41N
A
H
E
I
M
42E
N
D
A
T
43L
44U
L
U
45E
L
L
E
46P
O
M
47L
48I
O
N
49L
50A
M
E
51A
T
O
52L
L
S
53C
54A
L
L
55C
56S
57I
58L
I
M
O
59P
60L
O
T
61L
62E
T
O
N
63A
R
E
N
64T
Y
O
U
S
65P
E
C
I
A
L
66C
O
N
G
A
67S
T
E
A
L
H
O
M
E
68E
N
T
E
R
69S
H
A
K
E
O
N
I
T

Across

36 clues
1Made chitchat
10Underground rock
15"Slow down a second!"
17Nay sayers
20One way to stand
21Hang time, for short?
22Important
23Journey, so to speak
25Access, as to an elite network
27"___ ME" (humorous "sign")
31Reduced price?
32Revered one
34"Keep on going!"
36Word in a Tibetan leader's title
38"Infection" common among schoolkids
40California city bisected by Interstate 5
42Not continue beyond
43Stunner
45Cette femme
49Shiny material
51Annular reefs
53Stock market option
59Land, marked
61Held the elevator door for, say
63Sarcastic response to boasting
66Carnival line?
67Score sneakily
68"The door's open!"
69Conclude an agreement, say

Down

36 clues
1Ritzy
3Incident so dramatic it feels like a movie
6"Found you!"
7Cracker alternative to Ritz
8Mobile library?
9Cope
11Most-celebrated celebrities
12Primary follower
13Thing you may regret hitting "Reply All" to
14When it happened
18Valley with gentle slopes
24"I can't catch a break!"
26Bubkes
2820-Across, en español
30Green-winged water bird
32Stunning attraction at a winter festival, maybe
33Clothing tag warning
39"___ turn out fine"
44Boorish
48Game on a car trip
50Form of a gene
54Befuddled
56"We're alike in that way"
57Cove
60Stock market woe
62Diminishing return?
65Lahore is here: Abbr.

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

Stats & info

Saturday, Sep 5, 2026
15×15
Grid size
72
Total entries
25/200
Black / letter cells
5.6
Avg entry length
15 ltrs
Longest entry
Hardest
Saturday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedSep 5, 2026
DaySaturday
ThemeThemeless
ConstructorFritz Juhnke
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split36 across · 36 down
Longest entries

Saturday is the hardest grid of the week, themeless and clued as obliquely as the editor allows. This grid has 25 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.