Mystery writer?

Editorially verified for the Apr 12, 2026

20 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Sunday, April 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Words ___ Friends
  2. 5Dunderheads
  3. 10Starting point of Diana Nyad's 2013 swim to Florida
  4. 14Reduce to a pulp
  5. 18Actress ___ Grace Moretz
  6. 19"The game's ___": Henry V
  7. 20Mystery writer?
  8. 21Soothing succulent
  9. 22HOT woman worth fighting for?
  10. 24Throwing weapon known in Japanese as a shuriken
  11. 262010-12's ___ Spring
  12. 27Coronary insert
  13. 28GOT in the ballpark?
  14. 29Gomez of "Only Murders in the Building"
  15. 31Under, poetically
  16. 33Trick
  17. 34Music to a comedian's ears
  18. 36Some 1960s-style protests
  19. 39Contents of a black-and-white pod
  20. 43BOB Dylan album?
  21. 47Impossible to read, perhaps
  22. 48Word before cut or class
  23. 49Fragrant compound
  24. 50"It's ___. Do you know where your children are?" (old P.S.A.)
  25. 52Butcher's cut
  26. 53Takes a little off
  27. 55Time's 2023 Person of the Year
  28. 58A.I.-powered video hoaxes
  29. 60In ___
  30. 61Portuguese wine
  31. 63Put out again
  32. 64MOB wives?
  33. 68Casino supervisor
  34. 71Surround
  35. 72Poker in the Olympics?
  36. 76How an urgent text may be written
  37. 79Affect emotionally
  38. 80Carne ___
  39. 81Word on either side of "à"
  40. 82Org. founded to fund foreign projects
  41. 84Vapes, familiarly
  42. 86King's title, in brief
  43. 87Turkish summit
  44. 89SOAP film?
  45. 93Alternative to a Les Paul, for short
  46. 94Dad's deflection
  47. 95One of the seven deadly sins
  48. 96Vegetables rarely cut with a knife
  49. 98Switch positions
  50. 101Washington or Berlin
  51. 104KID napper's demand?
  52. 109Loses emotional control, in gamer-speak
  53. 111Socialite Sedgwick, the supposed inspiration for Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone"
  54. 112Winning country at the 2022 World Cup
  55. 113THE big game?
  56. 115"You're full of baloney!"
  57. 116"Right on, man"
  58. 117"Baywatch" actress Eleniak
  59. 118Breathers
  60. 119Goals
  61. 120Reference
  62. 121Fall perennial
  63. 122Primatologists' subjects

Down

  1. 1One of a reporter's W's
  2. 2Line of latitude?
  3. 3Squishy part of a cat's paw, cutesily
  4. 4Brooding sort
  5. 5Nutty
  6. 6Frequently
  7. 72025 biography subtitled "The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live"
  8. 8Nickname for the 6'9" Dallas Cowboys great Ed Jones
  9. 9What a mess
  10. 10Kid's repeated request
  11. 11Part of U.C.L.A.: Abbr.
  12. 12Idiot mistakes
  13. 13Pear variety
  14. 14Dazzling displays of skill
  15. 15Utah ski resort
  16. 16Linger in the bath
  17. 17Roll call response
  18. 18Nickname that's an alternative to Chuck
  19. 23Native Oklahomans
  20. 25Bad lighting?
  21. 28Treaty of ___, official close to the War of 1812
  22. 30Some N.S.F.W. texts
  23. 32Madre's hermano
  24. 35Spicy dips
  25. 37Named, informally
  26. 38Madre's baby
  27. 40Manipulates dishonestly
  28. 41Common Wordle starting word (for all those vowels)
  29. 42Feel
  30. 43Crunchy sandwiches, for short
  31. 44___ Greiner, inventor and "Shark Tank" personality
  32. 45Fresh cut
  33. 46Prickly patch
  34. 47Fetter
  35. 51Disappearing from the earth
  36. 54Hip-hop artists with unintelligible lyrics
  37. 56Bona ___
  38. 57Council of ___ (Counter-Reformation body)
  39. 59Mild oath
  40. 61Trading card error
  41. 62Bowed, musically
  42. 65Big inits. in 1990s internet
  43. 66Genre for Stevie Ray Vaughan
  44. 67Celebrity chef DiSpirito
  45. 68Gyro wraps
  46. 69Like krypton
  47. 70Turkic language
  48. 73Basic drumming pattern
  49. 74Steinbeck's "East of ___"
  50. 75Place for Christmas lights
  51. 77"Not interested"
  52. 78Head toward bankruptcy, say
  53. 80According to
  54. 83Matt of "Oppenheimer"
  55. 85Overly bright and showy
  56. 88Used DoorDash, say
  57. 90___Mari Method (tidying system)
  58. 91Hams
  59. 92Advance in a video game
  60. 94"That was true for me, too"
  61. 97Storage area
  62. 99Demand from a disgruntled customer
  63. 100Unreliable sort, in slang
  64. 102What a Bohr!
  65. 103Diamonds, but not clubs
  66. 104Dark green
  67. 105"The Office" receptionist
  68. 106Mild oath
  69. 107"Don't worry, boss!"
  70. 108Kind of hike
  71. 110Position removed by the February Revolution
  72. 113Drink "for two," in song
  73. 114Portuguese greeting

The answer to “Mystery writer?” in the New York Times crossword is ANON — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 12, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 20-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.

“Mystery writer?” answer

ANON (4 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 ANON.

Why the answer is ANON

ANON is the 4-letter solution that fits "Mystery writer?" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 12, 2026 (20-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ANON mean?

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

(adverb)

  • soon; shortly

When else has “Mystery writer?” 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Mystery writer?”?

The answer is ANON, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Mystery writer?”?

4 letters: ANON.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on April 12, 2026 (a Sunday puzzle), at 20-Across.

Can “Mystery writer?” 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 April 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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