NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 14, 2026
Wednesday, January 14, 2026
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, January 14, 2026. The daily crossword is the classic: a 15×15 grid on weekdays and a larger Sunday puzzle, with difficulty rising from a gentle Monday to a fiendish Saturday. Hints come first and the solution stays hidden until you ask for it.
Across clues & answers
- 23
- 47
- 49
- 67
Down clues & answers
- 6
- 7
- 27
- 61
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
across
- 1. Fall behind: LAG
- 4. Angle symbol, in geometry: THETA
- 9. Indonesian getaway spot: BALI
- 13. Ginger ___: ALE
- 14. Some fountain drinks: COLAS
- 15. Boardroom V.I.P.: EXEC
- 16. Checkmate in chess or gin in gin rummy: WIN
- 17. "Heyo!": HOLLA
- 18. Congressional staffer: AIDE
- 19. Hospital worker tending to newborns: NEONATALNURSE
- 22. Creature that moves at an average speed of 0.03 miles per hour: SNAIL
- 23. Pendulum's path: ARC
- 24. Awards for ad agencies: CLIOS
- 28. Mystique: AURA
- 31. Bar attraction with a saddle and horns: MECHANICALBULL
- 36. 1985 mystery film with three different endings: CLUE
- 37. Buffoons: CLODS
- 38. Director DaCosta of "The Marvels": NIA
- 39. Key not found on a Mac: ALT
- 40. ___ asada: CARNE
- 41. Kiss or Heart: BAND
- 42. Segments of Earth's lithosphere: TECTONICPLATES
- 45. Gritty film genre: NOIR
- 46. Suggest: GETAT
- 47. Classic British cars: MGS
- 49. Concern for a singer or a salesman: PITCH
- 53. Iconic 1977 Queen hit ... or a hint to 19-, 31- and 42-Across: WEWILLROCKYOU
- 58. Coffee, informally: JAVA
- 59. Birthplace of Marlon Brando and Warren Buffett: OMAHA
- 60. Many a groan-inducing joke: PUN
- 61. Egg-shaped: OVAL
- 62. "Caution: Wet ___": PAINT
- 63. Antlered animal: ELK
- 64. Cohort also known as "Zoomers": GENZ
- 65. Climbs without a partner, e.g.: SOLOS
- 66. Sponsored posts, e.g.: ADS
down
- 1. Settings for some bocce games: LAWNS
- 2. Extraterrestrial: ALIEN
- 3. Birthplace of Columbus: GENOA
- 4. Birth name of Marvel Comics' Black Panther: TCHALLA
- 5. Owl's sound: HOOT
- 6. Jazzy Fitzgerald: ELLA
- 7. Like most N.B.A. players: TALL
- 8. Yogi's pose: ASANA
- 9. Yogi, once: BEARCUB
- 10. x or y: AXIS
- 11. Beginning of a story, for a journalist: LEDE
- 12. Bartender's supply: ICE
- 20. Specialized subject: NICHE
- 21. Eurasian mountain range: URALS
- 25. Like Peruvian pyramids: INCAN
- 26. Offshore drilling site: OILRIG
- 27. Wall-mounted light fixture: SCONCE
- 29. Attack: RUNAT
- 30. Skirt style introduced by Christian Dior: ALINE
- 31. Exam for a future doc: MCAT
- 32. Actress Pompeo of "Grey's Anatomy": ELLEN
- 33. Big name in carving knives: CUTCO
- 34. Skilled: ADEPT
- 35. Young fellows: LADS
- 40. One of more than 30 dogs owned by Queen Elizabeth II throughout her life: CORGI
- 41. Hand-dyed fabric: BATIK
- 43. Vice-presidential candidate of 2024: TIMWALZ
- 44. Pet sitters?: LAPCATS
- 48. Spills (over): SLOPS
- 50. Ambitious and high-energy, say: TYPEA
- 51. "The Little Engine That ___": COULD
- 52. Many men on dating shows: HUNKS
- 53. What a surfer might ride: WAVE
- 54. Broadway's "Dear ___ Hansen": EVAN
- 55. Reaction to a hilarious text: LMAO
- 56. Commute option: RAIL
- 57. "I'm in trouble!": OHNO
- 58. Light run: JOG
More daily puzzle hints
- WordleGuess the five-letter word in six triesGuide & tips
- ConnectionsSort 16 words into four hidden groupsGuide & tips
- StrandsFind the themed words hidden in a letter gridGuide & tips
- Spelling BeeMake words from seven letters around a center letterGuide & tips
- Mini CrosswordA bite-size crossword you can finish over coffeeGuide & tips
- Connections: Sports EditionConnections with a sports-only word poolGuide & tips
- Letter BoxedChain words around a square using all 12 lettersGuide & tips
- Midi CrosswordThe mid-size crossword between the Mini and the dailyGuide & tips
How the week is built
- Monday and Tuesday: straightforward definitions and familiar answers. These are the best days to learn.
- Wednesday: a step up, often with a playful theme.
- Thursday: the trick day, with rebus squares (several letters in one square) and answers that turn corners or skip squares.
- Friday and Saturday: themeless and tough, with sly clues and long open sections.
- Sunday: a bigger 21×21 grid with a theme, about as hard as a Wednesday or Thursday.
Crossword-solving habits worth building
- Learn the common fill. Short vowel-heavy words such as ERA, OREO, ALOE and ETNA appear constantly because they help constructors connect sections.
- Read clue signals. "?" means wordplay, "Abbr." means an abbreviation, "e.g." means an example of a category, and a foreign word in the clue hints at a foreign answer.
- Find the theme. The longest answers usually share a gimmick; the title (on Sundays) or a "revealer" clue explains it.
- Erase without fear. When crossings don't work, the wrong letter is usually in the answer you were most confident about.
- Use targeted help. Reveal one letter here, or try our crossword solver with a pattern like ?R?S?.
The Crossword FAQ
When is the next crossword released?
Weekday puzzles go live at 10 p.m. Eastern Time the night before; weekend puzzles are released earlier in the evening.
What is a rebus square?
A square that holds more than one letter. Sometimes it holds a whole word or a symbol. They are most common on Thursdays.
Which day is the hardest?
Saturday is generally the hardest, followed by Friday. Sunday is larger but closer to midweek difficulty.
Can I see past crossword answers?
Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive.