Trig function that can output every real number

Latest answer — September 30, 2026

42 Down

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Clue explained

TAN is the standard abbreviation for the tangent function. Unlike sine and cosine, tangent can take every real number as an output.

Clue type:
Abbreviation
A graph of the tangent function showing its repeating branches and vertical asymptotes.

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 30, 2026 appearance

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Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.

Across

  1. 1Much-used pencil
  2. 5Composed
  3. 9A bit off
  4. 14Isle that's the traditional burial site of Scottish kings
  5. 15Mayberry kid on old TV
  6. 16Sharp increase
  7. 17Market!
  8. 19Walked while fraught with worry, say
  9. 20Like a moon that is not full but is more than half visible
  10. 21Administrative role
  11. 23Sign up
  12. 24Ticket!
  13. 27Nottingham-to-London dir.
  14. 28It was you
  15. 30Attributed writer of the third Gospel
  16. 31Culinary connoisseur
  17. 33GPS's guesses
  18. 34Planet!
  19. 38Desert landform
  20. 39San Francisco team, informally
  21. 40Best and most awesome, in slang
  22. 43Times Sq. squad
  23. 44Humanities degs.
  24. 47Packet!
  25. 49Person's bidding
  26. 51Need for a greedy Swede?
  27. 52Great flair
  28. 53Nail a test
  29. 55Locket!
  30. 57Pie-in-the-face sound
  31. 58Sized up
  32. 59Hightailed it
  33. 60How a trickster might behave
  34. 61Group in a gym routine
  35. 62Margarine

Down

  1. 1Drawn-out attacks
  2. 2Things to be cleansed from the body
  3. 3Powerless
  4. 4Movie with the record for the longest time between its release and the release of its sequel (63 years)
  5. 5Writing partner
  6. 6Many tech start-up ideas
  7. 7Trust eroder
  8. 8Some concert gear, informally
  9. 9Feature
  10. 10They might get lit at a birthday celebration
  11. 11Be super-successful, in slang
  12. 12Scrape (by)
  13. 13Give a ring, say
  14. 18Surgery recovery period, in brief
  15. 22"___ Troyens" (five-hour French opera)
  16. 24Collection of dishes?
  17. 25Up to snuff
  18. 26Treasure map markings
  19. 29God whose name has one "I," fittingly
  20. 31Offer from many a streaming service
  21. 32Start of a counting rhyme
  22. 34"Star Trek" helmsman
  23. 35Doubtful
  24. 36Musical promoters of school spirit
  25. 37Impassioned
  26. 38Insult
  27. 41"Star Trek" engineer
  28. 42Trig function that can output every real number
  29. 44"Don't freak out, dude"
  30. 45Where landlubbers are at home
  31. 46It often features panels with speakers
  32. 48Targets of some heists
  33. 50Was out of other options
  34. 52Word found at the start of "Poe, to name one"
  35. 53Burro
  36. 54Rank below sgt.
  37. 56Bread choice

The answer to “Trig function that can output every real number” in the New York Times crossword is TAN — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 30, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 42-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.

“Trig function that can output every real number” answer

TAN (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 TAN.

What does TAN mean?

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

(noun)

  • a yellowish-brown colour
  • a brown or darkened shade of skin developed after exposure to the sun
  • bark of oak or other trees, bruised and used as a source of tannin for converting hides into leather

When else has “Trig function that can output every real number” 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.

September 30, 2026 (most recent) → TAN. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Trig function that can output every real number”?

The answer is TAN, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on September 30, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Trig function that can output every real number”?

3 letters: TAN.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on September 30, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 42-Down.

Can “Trig function that can output every real number” 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 September 30, 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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