Lead-in to destination and determination

Latest answer — July 22, 2026

11 Across

It’s a prefix that often indicates something that comes before! 🚀

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, July 22, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Object of an extensive search
  2. 6Regional life forms
  3. 11Lead-in to destination and determination
  4. 14Cry after an accident
  5. 15Take over
  6. 16Deli supply
  7. 17With 60-Across, invitation to play 38-Down
  8. 19Seller's bottom lines, for short?
  9. 20Mister
  10. 21Victorian or Edwardian
  11. 22"Hmm, I'm thinking ..."
  12. 24Privy to
  13. 26Qualified, say
  14. 28Some STEM degrees
  15. 29Ace, e.g.
  16. 31Wild ___
  17. 33"You are correct about that"
  18. 34Hawk's hook
  19. 36It doesn't include the Apocrypha
  20. 38Tall-eared cats from Devon or Cornwall
  21. 39It's a celebration
  22. 40Toxin in castor beans
  23. 41Surname that derives from the Sanskrit word for "lion"
  24. 42Actor Eric of "Troy"
  25. 43Get in bad with?
  26. 45Raises the temperature of
  27. 49Many a tech alum: Abbr.
  28. 50Wood sculptor's tool
  29. 52Pop top?
  30. 53Organic chemistry experiment?
  31. 56___ Maria, dark coffee liqueur
  32. 58Exec overseeing A.I. integration
  33. 59Annual video game competition, for short
  34. 60See 17-Across
  35. 63"___ Misérables"
  36. 64Keep busy
  37. 65Israeli politician Dayan
  38. 66Some people doing residencies: Abbr.
  39. 67They're typical
  40. 68Handful in a beer garden?

Down

  1. 1Spread dirt
  2. 2Corkscrew-shaped pasta
  3. 3Orange-colored liqueur served in a namesake spritz
  4. 4Means of making some connections, for short
  5. 5Relative of a harp
  6. 6Pet peeves
  7. 7Estimation suffix
  8. 8Power source
  9. 9"You are correct about that"
  10. 10Calendar notation: Abbr.
  11. 11Prize dangling from a 38-Down booth
  12. 12Voluntold, say
  13. 13More than necessary
  14. 18Something you might put stock in, for short
  15. 23Risqué game that teenagers might give a whirl?
  16. 25Memory jogger
  17. 27PC hookup
  18. 30Cab
  19. 32Digitize, maybe
  20. 35Dunham who wrote the memoir "Famesick"
  21. 37"I'm so frustrated!"
  22. 38Carnival game depicted in this puzzle
  23. 39Brief bathroom breaks, slangily
  24. 40Trampled
  25. 41Habitat with a wet floor
  26. 42Eyeballed
  27. 44Ice cream eponym
  28. 46Play the blame game with
  29. 47Chinese martial art
  30. 48Not sung, say
  31. 51More, musically
  32. 54Abbr. atop a memo
  33. 55Charlie's Angels or the Chipmunks
  34. 57Body parts linked in a square dance, maybe
  35. 61"Tasty!"
  36. 62Auction offering

The answer to “Lead-in to destination and determination” in the New York Times crossword is PRE — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 22, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 11-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.

“Lead-in to destination and determination” answer

PRE (3 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 PRE.

Why the answer is PRE

It’s a prefix that often indicates something that comes before! 🚀

What does PRE mean?

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

(adposition)

  • previous to; before

When else has “Lead-in to destination and determination” 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.

July 22, 2026 (most recent) → PRE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Lead-in to destination and determination”?

The answer is PRE, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 22, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Lead-in to destination and determination”?

3 letters: PRE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on July 22, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 11-Across.

Can “Lead-in to destination and determination” 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 July 22, 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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