Little flourish on a letter

Latest answer — August 12, 2026

22 Down

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Clue explained

A SERIF is the small finishing stroke or flourish attached to a letter’s main line in certain typefaces. Thus it is literally a little flourish on a printed letter.

Clue type:
Definition
A typographic comparison showing letters with small serif strokes beside sans-serif letters

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 12, 2026 appearance

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The answer to “Little flourish on a letter” in the New York Times crossword is SERIF — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 12, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 22-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.

“Little flourish on a letter” answer

SERIF (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 SERIF.

What does SERIF mean?

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

(noun)

  • a slight projection finishing off a stroke of a letter in certain typefaces

When else has “Little flourish on a letter” 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) → SERIF. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Little flourish on a letter”?

The answer is SERIF, 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 “Little flourish on a letter”?

5 letters: SERIF.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 12, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 22-Down.

Can “Little flourish on a letter” 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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