"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson

Latest answer — August 25, 2026

66 Across

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A manuscript or printed page of Emily Dickinson’s poem about hope

Clue explained

HOPE is the “thing with feathers that perches in the soul” in Emily Dickinson’s poem “Hope” is the thing with feathers. The clue quotes the poem’s famous description.

Clue type:
Pop culture

NYT Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, August 25, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Sharpened point of a quill pen
  2. 4One-named Senegalese American singer with the #1 hits "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter"
  3. 8South Asian royals
  4. 13Actress Longoria
  5. 14Free-spirited style, informally
  6. 15*6th
  7. 16Summer meteor shower named for a mythological hero
  8. 18Paradise
  9. 19Musical flutter
  10. 20Billion years, astronomically
  11. 22___ skirt
  12. 23"Miracle on Ice" foe, for short
  13. 24Smart set
  14. 26To, informally
  15. 27"___ it!" (shout in a game of tag)
  16. 28*2nd
  17. 30Arouses, as an appetite
  18. 32Captivate
  19. 34*1st
  20. 36Settled on the ground, say
  21. 38Something told with two hands?
  22. 39Bluish-silver Christmas trees, maybe
  23. 42Hosp. recovery area
  24. 46Great divide
  25. 47Moon believed to have a subsurface ocean
  26. 49Gamer's "off-line"
  27. 50Kool-Aid competitor
  28. 51*3rd
  29. 53McEntire of country music
  30. 54Some Monopoly properties: Abbr.
  31. 56Drink in a sippy cup, to a toddler
  32. 57Commence
  33. 58Mexican beer brand
  34. 60"I'd love to go"
  35. 62*7th
  36. 63Bygone Russian leader
  37. 64Pad
  38. 65Baker's glassware brand
  39. 66"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson
  40. 67"Y"-sounding pair of letters, in Spanish

Down

  1. 1*8th
  2. 2Allen who was the 2001 N.B.A. M.V.P.
  3. 3One known for the morning grind?
  4. 4Second-born son in the Bible
  5. 5___ pond
  6. 6"Wowza!"
  7. 7Tiny biting insect
  8. 8Creature sometimes trained for bomb detection
  9. 9Focus of some physicists
  10. 10*5th
  11. 11Desert quality
  12. 12Epitomes of slowness
  13. 15Symbols of fair weather
  14. 17Mirror-and-prism camera, for short
  15. 21Arrival of symptoms
  16. 25"Man, that's hardly fair!"
  17. 28Fullness, in hairstyling
  18. 29"The Little Mermaid" prince
  19. 31Shades
  20. 33*4th
  21. 35Kelly of morning TV
  22. 37Neon ___ (aquarium fish)
  23. 39Like someone emerging from freezing cold water, typically
  24. 40Raceway speed setter
  25. 41Mull over
  26. 43Reason to go into penalty kicks
  27. 44Like the paths of 45-Down, as visually depicted in this puzzle
  28. 45Celestial "wanderers" ... or what this puzzle's circled letters represent
  29. 46Flirt with, in a way
  30. 48"Are you sure?"
  31. 52Spellbinds
  32. 53Sunburned, perhaps
  33. 55Reasonable
  34. 57Reveal
  35. 59Black-and-white wedding rental
  36. 61Gullible sort

The answer to “"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson” in the New York Times crossword is HOPE — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 25, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 66-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.

“"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson” answer

HOPE (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 HOPE.

What does HOPE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a feeling of expectation and desire for a particular thing to happen
  • a feeling of trust

When else has “"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson” 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 25, 2026 (most recent) → HOPE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson”?

The answer is HOPE, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 25, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson”?

4 letters: HOPE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 25, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 66-Across.

Can “"Thing with feathers that perches in the soul," per Emily Dickinson” 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 25, 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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