Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across

Latest answer — March 11, 2026

56 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, March 11, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Clause separator
  2. 6Channel showing committee hearings
  3. 11Request
  4. 14Winning, for the moment
  5. 15"Don Giovanni" genre
  6. 16Container for sardines
  7. 17In 1968, Spencer Silver at 3M Corporation was attempting to develop a superstrong adhesive ...
  8. 19Musician Yoko
  9. 20One in a hundred
  10. 21Alternative to fries, maybe
  11. 22___-color pasta
  12. 24In 1928, Alexander Fleming at St. Mary's Hospital in London found mold in his cultures of staphylococcus bacteria ...
  13. 27Vulgar
  14. 30Answer to the riddle ending "How many are going to St. Ives?"
  15. 31"Olympia" painter
  16. 32Ran out, as time
  17. 36In 1945, Percy Spencer at the Raytheon Manufacturing Company noticed the chocolate bar in his pocket had melted close to a magnetron ...
  18. 39Language in which "computer" is made up of the characters for "electric" and "brain"
  19. 40Take one's foot off the gas
  20. 42Kwik-E-Mart proprietor on "The Simpsons"
  21. 43Attacks
  22. 44In 1943, James Wright at General Electric was attempting to develop synthetic rubber for the war effort ...
  23. 50Inits. on a police forensic van
  24. 51Racetrack shape
  25. 52Like Mercury among all the planets vis-à-vis the sun
  26. 55One to build on
  27. 56Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across
  28. 60Singer Garfunkel
  29. 61Update, as the Constitution
  30. 62Vaudeville show
  31. 63Deli bread option
  32. 64___-turvy
  33. 65Paradises

Down

  1. 1Upper limit
  2. 2"Well, that's a surprise!"
  3. 3Marked by a religious zeal
  4. 4Join
  5. 5Tennis score after deuce
  6. 6Old French tale
  7. 7With whom the dish ran away in "Hey Diddle Diddle"
  8. 8___ dish
  9. 9Exist
  10. 10Rapper Lil ___ X
  11. 11Part of Micronesia
  12. 12Mount associated with Moses
  13. 13Recognized
  14. 18Wrap for an athlete's injury
  15. 21Things a vest lacks
  16. 22Channel for old westerns
  17. 23Wander
  18. 25Deal (with)
  19. 26Shoe part
  20. 28Community center for games and activities
  21. 29Having streaks
  22. 32Producer of milk for Roquefort cheese
  23. 33"___ Culturistas" (popular podcast)
  24. 34Street sign abbr.
  25. 35Clue examiner
  26. 37"Movin' ___" ("The Jeffersons" theme song)
  27. 38McAuliffe's one-word reply to a German commander's demand of surrender
  28. 41Tire inflation meas.
  29. 43Polar explorer Richard
  30. 44Certain renewable energy
  31. 45Shade of off-white
  32. 46Milky coffee drink
  33. 47General Assembly participant, for short
  34. 48Many first-time smartphone owners
  35. 49Jessica who won an Oscar for "Driving Miss Daisy"
  36. 53Ireland, to the Irish
  37. 54Hightailed it
  38. 56Exam for college applicants
  39. 57Angsty
  40. 58Large cask
  41. 59"For sure!"

The answer to “Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across” in the New York Times crossword is SERENDIPITY — a 11-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 11, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 56-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.

“Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across” answer

SERENDIPITY (11 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 SERENDIPITY.

Why the answer is SERENDIPITY

SERENDIPITY is the 11-letter solution that fits "Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across" in the NYT Crossword crossword on March 11, 2026 (56-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does SERENDIPITY mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of SERENDIPITY is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way

When else has “Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across” appeared?

New York Times 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.

March 11, 2026 (most recent) → SERENDIPITY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across”?

The answer is SERENDIPITY, a 11-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on March 11, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across”?

11 letters: SERENDIPITY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on March 11, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 56-Across.

Can “Happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories at 17-, 24-, 36- and 44-Across” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times 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 Crossword answers?

The full grid for March 11, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times 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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