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NYT Crossword — September 9, 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
1B
2E
3T
4B
5U
6I
7L
8D
9P
10U
11P
12A
13E
14E
X
O
15E
N
D
O
R
16E
R
U
P
T
17A
C
E
18L
O
O
S
E
19C
A
N
N
O
N
20M
O
T
21T
O
22L
E
G
U
P
23S
P
A
24S
P
H
I
N
25X
26S
T
O
27P
28E
D
G
E
29R
30S
31E
D
I
32T
33O
34R
35M
36U
L
E
37N
O
U
38N
39S
P
A
D
E
40O
H
I
O
41A
T
S
E
42A
43E
K
E
D
44C
O
N
V
45O
46H
A
R
K
47D
E
A
D
48S
H
E
E
N
49S
50N
O
I
51R
O
N
52R
E
E
53F
54N
E
W
A
55G
56E
57I
58S
59H
60C
L
A
61P
62S
63U
N
B
O
X
64T
H
E
65D
O
L
D
R
U
66M
S
67A
T
E
68C
O
M
M
A
69E
E
R
I
E
70C
T
R
71H
O
I
S
T
72S
P
E
N
D
73K
I
T

Across

39 clues
1"OK," in modern slang
4Develop
9Postlarval insects
14Prefix with skeleton
15Ewok's home
16Blow, as 13-Down does repeatedly
17Top starter
18*Unsecured artillery that can slide across the deck
20"Semper Fidelis," for one
22Advantage
23Me-time destination
24Creature of Egyptian myth
26Bus schedule component
28Some landscaping equipment
31Worker who's behind the Times?
35Plow puller of old
37"Verb," ironically
39Part of a black suit
40Its three largest cities all have names starting with C
41Completely lost … or where the now-idiomatic answer to each italicized clue has a literal meaning
43Barely made (out)
44Chat, informally
46Old-timey "Listen!"
47Out of juice
48Paint options
50Permanent-press
52Part of many a shallow-water ecosystem
54Music genre for some yoga classes
57Suffix with devil
60Expresses approval, in a way
63Remove from its original packaging, say
64*Equatorial ocean area notorious for lack of winds
67Consumed
68Character in "Monsters, Inc."
69Like many a campfire story
70Hiker to a QB: Abbr.
71Elevate, as a flag
72Shell out cash
73Word with sewing or starter

Down

39 clues
1Has a happy face
2Former member of the force
3*Stand barefoot in formation along seams of deck planks
4Fit in
5Game in which players draw and skip
6Big celebrity
7When repeated, leading only to bad outcomes
8Leftovers
9Stir-fry add-ins
10Decorative vessel
11"Sofa, so good" and such
12Each
13Sicilian smoker
19___ as a bug's ear
21*Drift with the natural flow of currents
25TV's "Warrior Princess"
27*Bosun's whistled call signaling a shift change
29I.R.A. classification
30Lazy ___
32*Flattened against the masts in a changing wind
33Roman theaters
34Comedian Foxx
35Soft leather shoes, for short
36"That's not good"
38Fiddler-emperor, legend has it
42Similar
45Minimal paint job
49Promote
51Not just thrown away, say
53Gradually tapered cuts
55Jailed New York crime boss
56Wield, as authority
57Bite reminder, maybe
58"Get away!"
59Prefix with sphere
61Dice peppers, e.g.
62Positive
65Personally contacts online, for short
66Max's opposite

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

Stats & info

Wednesday, Sep 9, 2026
15×15
Grid size
78
Total entries
36/189
Black / letter cells
4.8
Avg entry length
11 ltrs
Longest entry
Medium
Wednesday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedSep 9, 2026
DayWednesday
ThemeUntitled
ConstructorDario Salvucci
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split39 across · 39 down
Longest entries
18A*Unsecured artillery that can slide across the deck11 ltrs64A*Equatorial ocean area notorious for lack of winds11 ltrs3D*Stand barefoot in formation along seams of deck planks10 ltrs32D*Flattened against the masts in a changing wind10 ltrs21D*Drift with the natural flow of currents8 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 36 black squares and averages 4.8 letters per entry.