Optimal course of action

Latest answer — July 30, 2026

14 Across

The smartest move when you’re playing it safe or taking a gamble 😏

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Midi Crossword

This clue's Thursday, July 30, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Recycling ___
  2. 4To a large extent
  3. 10Game with Skip cards
  4. 11"I wouldn't do that if I were you"
  5. 12Not yet known, in brief
  6. 13Like a perfect paradise
  7. 14Optimal course of action
  8. 16When repeated, an expression of disapproval
  9. 17Salt Lake City's state
  10. 18Awakens
  11. 20"Bye-bye!," to a Brit
  12. 21Pan for stir-frying
  13. 222026 market event for SpaceX, for short
  14. 24___ piece of work
  15. 28Clothing fitter
  16. 31"Oh! I almost forgot ..."
  17. 32Take off the market, as a defective car
  18. 33Wading bird with a curved beak
  19. 34Removed wrinkles from
  20. 35Intersection point
  21. 36Places for bullfrogs
  22. 37Female sheep

Down

  1. 1Repetitive protest from a child
  2. 2Still being tested, as software
  3. 3Acknowledges nonverbally
  4. 41995 post-apocalyptic film in which Kevin Costner plays the Mariner ... or an alternative title for this puzzle?
  5. 5"Same!"
  6. 6Salsa or guacamole
  7. 7Revises, as an article
  8. 8A new ___ on life
  9. 9Baseball players in the Bronx, informally
  10. 11Fella
  11. 15Nation with a type of precipitation in its name
  12. 19Nation with a type of precipitation in its name
  13. 23Extreme points in the Arctic and Antarctic
  14. 25Arm joint
  15. 26Detour in a conversation
  16. 27Suffers defeat
  17. 28Stumble
  18. 29Prefix with dynamics
  19. 30Something clicked on a desktop

The answer to “Optimal course of action” in the New York Times Midi crossword is BESTBET — a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on July 30, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 14-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Optimal course of action” answer

BESTBET (7 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is BESTBET.

Why the answer is BESTBET

The smartest move when you’re playing it safe or taking a gamble 😏

When else has “Optimal course of action” appeared?

New York Times Midi reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 30, 2026 (most recent) → BESTBET. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Optimal course of action”?

The answer is BESTBET, a 7-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Midi crossword on July 30, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Optimal course of action”?

7 letters: BESTBET.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Midi crossword on July 30, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 14-Across.

Can “Optimal course of action” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Midi sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Midi answers?

The full grid for July 30, 2026 is on the NYT Midi answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Midi Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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