Instrument that's shaken and tapped

The answer to “Instrument that's shaken and tapped” in the USA Today crossword is TAMBOURINE — a 10-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on August 10, 2026, a Monday puzzle, at 10-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.

“Instrument that's shaken and tapped” answer

TAMBOURINE (10 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 TAMBOURINE.

What does TAMBOURINE mean?

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

When else has “Instrument that's shaken and tapped” appeared?

USA Today 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 10, 2026 (most recent) → TAMBOURINE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions