"Well, let me think"

Latest answer — August 26, 2026

39 Down

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Person pausing thoughtfully with a hand on the chin

Clue explained

HMM is the hesitation sound people make while thinking, especially before saying something like “Well, let me think.” The quotation marks indicate spoken dialogue rather than a literal definition.

Clue type:
Phrase or idiom

NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 26, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Modern lead-in to quit or bait
  2. 5Heat source for many hydrothermal vents
  3. 10Act all teenagerly, say
  4. 14[I have something to say ...]
  5. 15He has the weight of the world on his shoulders
  6. 16River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre
  7. 17Enhancing "blemish" (3x)
  8. 19Rip apart
  9. 20Something to belly up to
  10. 21Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly
  11. 22Cautious
  12. 23"My guess is ..."
  13. 25Teach, playfully (3x)
  14. 29Pinocchio's tell
  15. 31South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born
  16. 32___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name)
  17. 33PC key
  18. 34Wait for it!
  19. 35Sweet popcorn coating (4x)
  20. 39Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo
  21. 40Call, as a poker bet
  22. 41Roman author of "Metamorphoses"
  23. 42Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry
  24. 45Tech review site
  25. 46Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x)
  26. 48Bundles in a stationery shop
  27. 52Pointed remarks
  28. 53"Famous" cookie entrepreneur
  29. 55Church fixture
  30. 56Black mark on a credit report, in brief
  31. 57"Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise?
  32. 60Never Have I ___ (party game)
  33. 61April's ___ Day
  34. 62Bug on a pug
  35. 63Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"
  36. 64Acrimonious, as a breakup
  37. 65Units of verse

Down

  1. 1Torah scholar
  2. 2Bridge Out ___ (sign)
  3. 3They have teeth but don't bite
  4. 4Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest
  5. 5Chichén Itzá builders
  6. 6Taking charge?
  7. 7Happy-sounding advocacy grp.
  8. 8Scuff up, say
  9. 9Set, as a price
  10. 10Instrument associated with beans and salsa?
  11. 11Was a ham
  12. 12Scrunchied hairstyle
  13. 13"The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road")
  14. 18Audition
  15. 22Word that can precede cry or baby
  16. 24Picky, picky, picky
  17. 26Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate)
  18. 27Housemother
  19. 28What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief
  20. 30Day break?
  21. 32Got it all off his chest?
  22. 33Disc golf "hole"-in-one
  23. 35Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans"
  24. 36Consider
  25. 37Disinclined
  26. 38Small bug with a strong-sounding name
  27. 39"Well, let me think"
  28. 43Herculean tasks
  29. 44Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time
  30. 45Sometimes-uncredited appearances
  31. 47da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example
  32. 49Gift from a teacher's pet
  33. 50Free-for-all
  34. 51Result of a hot pursuit?
  35. 54Grand Ole ___
  36. 56One leg press, say
  37. 57Uncle ___
  38. 58Minecraft resource
  39. 59Command to a jumpy dog

The answer to “"Well, let me think"” in the New York Times crossword is HMM — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 26, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 39-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.

“"Well, let me think"” answer

HMM (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 HMM.

What does HMM mean?

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

(interjection)

  • used to express reflection, uncertainty, or hesitation

When else has “"Well, let me think"” 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 26, 2026 (most recent) → HMM. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “"Well, let me think"”?

The answer is HMM, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 26, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “"Well, let me think"”?

3 letters: HMM.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 26, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 39-Down.

Can “"Well, let me think"” 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 26, 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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