Write-___ (unlikely election winners)

The answer to “Write-___ (unlikely election winners)” in the New York Times crossword is INS — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on January 5, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 62-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.

“Write-___ (unlikely election winners)” answer

INS (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 INS.

Why the answer is INS

INS is the 3-letter solution that fits "Write-___ (unlikely election winners)" in the NYT Crossword crossword on January 5, 2026 (62-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does INS mean?

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

When else has “Write-___ (unlikely election winners)” 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.

January 5, 2026 (most recent) → INS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

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