Unexpected hitch

Latest answer — July 28, 2026

44 Across

A small surprise that can trip up the best-laid plans 🎣

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, July 28, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Discord admins
  2. 5"Close to You" actor Elliot
  3. 9_eats _er _inute
  4. 12Fencing sword
  5. 13Adored celebrities
  6. 15"Pressure" singer Lennox
  7. 16Bread soaked in an eggy mixture then grilled
  8. 18White ___ (Chicago team)
  9. 19Set on fire
  10. 20Matching cups, saucers, pot, etc.
  11. 22Caspian and Sargasso, for two
  12. 23Horse's hair
  13. 26___ Alliance (Luke, Leia and others)
  14. 28Attempted
  15. 30Some deli loaves
  16. 32Intense anger
  17. 33Creative thought
  18. 35Performed perfectly
  19. 37Extra-thick breakfast item cooked in an iron
  20. 41Champagne + orange juice
  21. 42Darth Vader's garment
  22. 43Recedes
  23. 44Unexpected hitch
  24. 46Intense anger
  25. 51Adds to the payroll
  26. 53Object in a shopping cart
  27. 55Pixar title character who meets aliens
  28. 56"Inception" actress Cotillard
  29. 58All four of a square's are right
  30. 60Alphabet beginning
  31. 61Thick, creamy dairy product in some parfaits
  32. 64Multihyphenate Issa
  33. 65Throw with effort
  34. 66"I triple-dog ___ you!"
  35. 67Short albums, for short
  36. 68Prophetic sign
  37. 69Acorn, for one

Down

  1. 1Corporate union
  2. 2ChatGPT creator
  3. 3"Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" character played by Lauren Lapkus
  4. 4Religious offshoot
  5. 5Peach discard
  6. 6Hullabaloo
  7. 7Chin beard
  8. 8"What ___ can I say?"
  9. 9"A League of Their Own" sport
  10. 10Woman working with a mentor
  11. 11Combine
  12. 14One might be wished upon
  13. 16Rock, in rock, paper, scissors
  14. 17Clothing border
  15. 21Sans ___ (font option)
  16. 24Geometry calculation
  17. 25Feline meme with a Pop-Tart body
  18. 27Was ahead
  19. 29Uses a shovel
  20. 31Finger-click sound
  21. 34"Buenos ___!"
  22. 36Not many
  23. 37Korean rice dish
  24. 38Adopts enthusiastically
  25. 39Last one across the finish line
  26. 40Pay rate
  27. 41Just so-so
  28. 45Opening time for some stores
  29. 47Jamaican music genre
  30. 48Appeal
  31. 49Having multiple levels
  32. 50Entertain guests
  33. 52Weary exhalation
  34. 54Star Wars Day month
  35. 57Sandwich cookie with many varieties
  36. 59Silent assents
  37. 60"We ___ Family" (Sister Sledge hit)
  38. 62December 31, notably
  39. 63Ncuti Gatwa's role in "Barbie"

The answer to “Unexpected hitch” in the USA Today crossword is SNAG — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 28, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 44-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.

“Unexpected hitch” answer

SNAG (4 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 SNAG.

Why the answer is SNAG

A small surprise that can trip up the best-laid plans 🎣

What does SNAG mean?

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

(noun)

  • an unexpected or hidden obstacle or drawback
  • a sharp, angular, or jagged projection
  • a dead tree

When else has “Unexpected hitch” 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.

July 28, 2026 (most recent) → SNAG. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Unexpected hitch”?

The answer is SNAG, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on July 28, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Unexpected hitch”?

4 letters: SNAG.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on July 28, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 44-Across.

Can “Unexpected hitch” have a different answer?

Yes — USA Today 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 USA Today answers?

The full grid for July 28, 2026 is on the USA Today answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

USA Today Crossword is published by USA Today; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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