Start of a counting-out rhyme

Latest answer — June 17, 2026

40 Down

Think of the playful rhyme children use to choose who’s “it” in a game 🎲

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, June 17, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Like Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, some say
  2. 8App brought back by Microsoft in 2024
  3. 11Swear
  4. 15Disney film set in a fictional Colombian village
  5. 16BEFORE (Deck 1): Slackers
  6. 18Celebrity
  7. 19Fast-paced scam, such as the shell game
  8. 20BEFORE (Deck 2): PlayStation and Switch
  9. 22Laterite, for example
  10. 23Folkie DiFranco
  11. 24Chills
  12. 26"___ Recall" (1990 sci-fi film)
  13. 31Jay who hosted the 2020s revival of "You Bet Your Life"
  14. 33Wild European rabbit in Australia, e.g.
  15. 36Beer buy
  16. 37Join tightly
  17. 41BEFORE (Deck 3): Quarry
  18. 43Casino maneuvers carried out three times in this puzzle?
  19. 46AFTER (Deck 3): Crucial moment in a tennis match
  20. 47Osso ___ (veal dish)
  21. 48"The Emperor's New Groove" setting
  22. 49Blond, but not really
  23. 51Many a discovery in the Valley of the Kings
  24. 55Visit by plane
  25. 57___ With Friends
  26. 61Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"
  27. 62Telepathy, e.g.
  28. 65AFTER (Deck 2): Noted quality of the Fonz
  29. 67Geraldo Rivera uncovered his "vaults" on live TV
  30. 72"___ the Day" (Thomas Pynchon's longest novel)
  31. 73AFTER (Deck 1): Slackers
  32. 74Was up the river
  33. 75Awards achievement reached in 2026 by Steven Spielberg
  34. 76Outdo
  35. 77Rival of a Raven

Down

  1. 1Paul who played William Shakespeare in "Hamnet"
  2. 2Vocalize
  3. 3Digitize, as a document
  4. 4"Just What I Needed" band, with "the"
  5. 5Disney+ series whose name sounds like a compound conjunction
  6. 6Got via the "five-finger discount"
  7. 7"The Complete Works of ..." books, say
  8. 8Booker T.'s backing band
  9. 9Neighborhood mentioned in "Werewolves of London"
  10. 10Former queen of Jordan
  11. 11Portable bed
  12. 12Mixed martial arts org.
  13. 13Bay Area airport code
  14. 14ID thief's target: Abbr.
  15. 17Instrument ridge
  16. 21Valvoline rival
  17. 25Gathering, informally
  18. 27Cat that's spotted in South America
  19. 28It's on a roll
  20. 29Sale caveat
  21. 30Permitted to
  22. 32Repelled
  23. 34Scrapbook keepsake
  24. 35Popcorn ___ (fried vegan treat)
  25. 38Subject of a declassified Pentagon document, in brief
  26. 39Averted a tag, maybe
  27. 40Start of a counting-out rhyme
  28. 42Lions and Bears are in it, in brief
  29. 43Stagger
  30. 44"Hey, doing my best"
  31. 45Goulash, e.g.
  32. 46UV blockage fig.
  33. 50Medical moniker
  34. 52Final score of at least 10% of professional soccer matches
  35. 53"Glad I'm back?"
  36. 54Thanksgiving kitchen tool
  37. 56Research for a political hit, slangily
  38. 58Map lines
  39. 59Give minimum effort
  40. 60British glam rock band of the 1970s
  41. 63Lenient
  42. 64411
  43. 66TV's Nick at ___
  44. 67Gray, say
  45. 68Record
  46. 69Bill's partner
  47. 70Back at sea
  48. 71"Ability" that's hard to believe, for short

The answer to “Start of a counting-out rhyme” in the New York Times crossword is EENY — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on June 17, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 40-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.

“Start of a counting-out rhyme” answer

EENY (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 EENY.

Why the answer is EENY

Think of the playful rhyme children use to choose who’s “it” in a game 🎲

When else has “Start of a counting-out rhyme” 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.

June 17, 2026 (most recent) → EENY. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Start of a counting-out rhyme”?

The answer is EENY, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on June 17, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Start of a counting-out rhyme”?

4 letters: EENY.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on June 17, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 40-Down.

Can “Start of a counting-out rhyme” 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 June 17, 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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