NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for July 22, 2026

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:08 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Wednesday, July 22, 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.

76 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

across

1. "Chocolate" pets: LABS
5. Genome component: DNA
8. Breaks in winter weather: THAWS
13. ___ vera: ALOE
14. Gave a hand: DEALT
16. Greet someone informally: SAYHI
17. "Easy-peasy!": BADABINGBADABOOM
20. Attire for an infant: ONESIE
21. Awe-inspiring solar phenomenon: AURORA
22. Severity: RIGOR
23. Urban environmental hazard: SMOG
24. Pen tips: NIBS
28. Clean with a rough spray: SANDBLAST
31. Blood ___: SERUM
32. Acorn producer: OAK
33. The 12 angry men in "12 Angry Men," e.g.: JURORS
34. Finish flamboyantly … like 17-, 28-, 43- and 56-Across?: GOOUTWITHABANG
40. 2000-09, with "the": AUGHTS
41. ___ and haw: HEM
42. Jumbo: LARGE
43. Colorful taffy candy brand: STARBURST
49. Laptop brand: ACER
50. Tons: ALOT
51. Not having quite enough money: SHORT
53. "Really?": OHYEAH
55. Backside: HEINIE
56. 2023 double-platinum Chappell Roan record: REDWINESUPERNOVA
60. Toyota hybrid: PRIUS
61. Plumbing fixture found under the sink: PTRAP
62. Things assayers assay: ORES
63. Reactions akin to "OMG!": GASPS
64. Pigs' digs: STY
65. Fill up: SATE

down

1. Hard work: LABOR
2. Morissette with the 1996 hit "Ironic": ALANIS
3. Corner store: BODEGA
4. Fall, e.g.: SEASON
5. Reading room: DEN
6. Japanese city that's home to the Chinese Sofukuji Temple: NAGASAKI
7. Subjects of some Billboard charts: ALBUMS
8. Old Russian ruler: TSAR
9. Cuban dance style: HABANERA
10. Actress Edebiri: AYO
11. "Which person are you referring to?": WHO
12. ___ card: SIM
14. A standard one has 21 pips: DIE
15. Fortune-telling deck: TAROT
18. Aviary inhabitant: BIRD
19. Hound: DOG
25. It's "pumped" by bodybuilders: IRON
26. Town: BURG
27. Texting format, in brief: SMS
29. Many internet spammers: BOTS
30. Rule: LAW
31. Teacher for a day: SUB
33. Part of a doorframe: JAMB
34. Tortilla chip dip, informally: GUAC
35. Shrek, e.g.: OGRE
36. "Wow, real mature": OHGROWUP
37. Sport-___: UTE
38. "Ow! Watch it!": THATHURT
39. "___/she" (chocolate bar's pronouns in a corny joke): HER
40. In the manner of: ALA
43. Power-saving computer mode: SLEEP
44. They're often made at weddings: TOASTS
45. One may accept the terms and conditions: USER
46. Heavyweight beasts, familiarly: RHINOS
47. Mexican state bordering Chihuahua: SONORA
48. Hot pot holder: TRIVET
50. Novelist Rand: AYN
52. Backcomb: TEASE
54. Cat's warning: HISS
55. Old-school term for "cool": HEP
56. World of Warcraft, e.g., in brief: RPG
57. Long period: ERA
58. Put down: DIS
59. Salary: PAY

Hints and full breakdown for Jul 21

More daily puzzle hints

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.