"I messed up"

Latest answer — August 12, 2026

12 Down

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Clue explained

MY BAD is an informal way to say “I messed up” or acknowledge a mistake. The grid removes the space from the two-word expression.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom
A person making a casual apology

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Mentions by username, on social media
  2. 5High range
  3. 11Hits up on Insta, say
  4. 14___ vez (again, in Spanish)
  5. 15Torment
  6. 16On the sea, it's akin to "Sí"
  7. 17Where Docs and Sheets are stored
  8. 19Jordan joined it in 1984, for short
  9. 20Pal
  10. 21Only number that appears twice in the Fibonacci sequence
  11. 22Rip-off
  12. 23Measurements of Wi-Fi performance
  13. 27Didn't have a match in Go Fish, say
  14. 28Feeling little to no amorous attraction, in L.G.B.T.Q.+ lingo
  15. 29Identity prefix
  16. 32Baldwin with a record 17 appearances as "Saturday Night Live" host
  17. 35Unwanted divisions
  18. 38Web volume measured in hits ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 49- and 61-Across
  19. 422024 film that won Best Picture
  20. 43Boba tea flavor
  21. 44Word with run or resort
  22. 45Throw, for instance
  23. 46Buddhist leader
  24. 49Major consequence of a virus, perhaps
  25. 55Extreme craving
  26. 56"OK," in Osaka
  27. 57"Like ___!" ("Whatever!")
  28. 60"Sorry, it's ___ from me"
  29. 61Cause of some slow data transfers
  30. 64Highly monitored area, for short
  31. 65Flowery
  32. 66Affinity for something, so to speak
  33. 67Home of Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware," with "the"
  34. 68Snipes of "White Men Can't Jump"
  35. 69Baking amts.

Down

  1. 1Party wrap
  2. 2Bit of chemistry
  3. 3Bad thing to pull while running
  4. 4Failed under pressure, in a way
  5. 5Hot French beverage
  6. 6"Sick, dude!"
  7. 7What a bug may cause
  8. 8Cusp
  9. 9Is gaga for
  10. 10Farm female
  11. 11"Battles" of those busting moves
  12. 12"I messed up"
  13. 13Lines in mines
  14. 18Tolkien fantasy series inits.
  15. 22Little flourish on a letter
  16. 24Break off gradually
  17. 25Barn nestling
  18. 26Lawyer's aide, informally
  19. 29Org. in the Jack Ryan movies
  20. 30Tabard ___, locale in "The Canterbury Tales"
  21. 31Leaves in a huff
  22. 33Greek letter representing elasticity in economics
  23. 34PC "copy" shortcut
  24. 36___Tok
  25. 37STEM part: Abbr.
  26. 39Go ballistic
  27. 40Big name in pasta sauce
  28. 41Pride sound
  29. 47___ Marian (English folklore heroine)
  30. 48It's on the up and up
  31. 49Fraud victim's filing
  32. 50Perfumery unit
  33. 51"And ... voilà!"
  34. 52Comes to deserve
  35. 53Measure up to, as in competition
  36. 54Nickname for M.L.B.'s Angels
  37. 58Feature of one's voice following a loud concert, say
  38. 59Potato discards
  39. 61Farm female
  40. 62It ends in septembre
  41. 63Singer Lana Del ___

The answer to “"I messed up"” in the New York Times crossword is MYBAD — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 12, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 12-Down. 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.

“"I messed up"” answer

MYBAD (5 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 MYBAD.

When else has “"I messed up"” 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.

August 12, 2026 (most recent) → MYBAD. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"I messed up"”?

The answer is MYBAD, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"I messed up"”?

5 letters: MYBAD.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 12, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 12-Down.

Can “"I messed up"” 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 August 12, 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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