Tolkien monster

The answer to “Tolkien monster” in the New York Times crossword is ORC — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 23, 2026, a Sunday puzzle, at 34-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.

“Tolkien monster” answer

ORC (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 ORC.

What does ORC mean?

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

When else has “Tolkien monster” 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 23, 2026 (most recent) → ORC. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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