Young Darth Vader's nickname

Latest answer — September 26, 2026

14 Down

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Clue explained

ANI is the nickname for Anakin Skywalker when he is young, before becoming Darth Vader in “Star Wars.”

Clue type:
Pop culture
Young Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars

USA Today Crossword

This clue's Saturday, September 26, 2026 appearance

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

Across

  1. 1Scratchy voice
  2. 5Core muscles
  3. 8Taxi
  4. 11Seller of KALLAX shelving units
  5. 12"Fullmetal Alchemist," e.g.
  6. 15Stellar outburst
  7. 16*"Home already?"
  8. 18Foreboding sign
  9. 19"___ complicated"
  10. 20Small margin
  11. 22Almost there
  12. 25"if u ask me"
  13. 26"Mayor of Kingstown" actor Gillen
  14. 28*"That's ridiculous"
  15. 31"The Faculty" star DuVall
  16. 32Basic principles
  17. 33Unagi nigiri fish
  18. 34Utah Jazz org.
  19. 36Possesses
  20. 38Comedian Samantha
  21. 41Naval fleet
  22. 45Makes a selection
  23. 49*Dialect influenced by both British and North American conventions
  24. 52Bond portrayer after Brosnan
  25. 53"Uh-uh"
  26. 54___ road ice cream
  27. 55You may hold yours during parts of a scary movie
  28. 57Piece of skin art, casually
  29. 58Dossier
  30. 60Dine together, and a hint to the synonyms bookending the starred clues' answers
  31. 65Open to all genders
  32. 66Egypt's capital
  33. 67"Sign me up!"
  34. 68What a cow chews
  35. 69Show hosts, for short
  36. 70Cougar

Down

  1. 1Tease
  2. 2Alias introduction
  3. 3Part of a min.
  4. 4Country on one side of K2
  5. 5"Good Times" actor John
  6. 6Some undergrad degrees
  7. 7Winter creations that might wear top hats
  8. 8Mature, like a bond
  9. 9The "A" of GPA
  10. 10Prohibit
  11. 13"Get outta here!"
  12. 14Young Darth Vader's nickname
  13. 15Finnish company whose "lipstick" phone lacked a traditional keypad
  14. 17Plant part
  15. 21Taco condiment
  16. 22Public health org.
  17. 23"hahaha"
  18. 24"You're ___ to talk!"
  19. 25"The Studio" actor Barinholtz
  20. 27Utah Mammoth org.
  21. 29Pong company
  22. 30___ Hunt ("Mission: Impossible" protagonist)
  23. 35Girl Scout's award
  24. 37Adventure that doesn't require group coordination
  25. 38Secretly loop in
  26. 39Musical ability
  27. 40Made possible
  28. 42Meditative utterance
  29. 43Disneyland's city
  30. 44Moisture on grass
  31. 46Insta upload
  32. 47Scolding sound
  33. 48Not outgoing
  34. 50Ran on TV
  35. 51Seize suddenly
  36. 56"Abbott Elementary" network
  37. 57MMA fight enders
  38. 58TV oversight org.
  39. 59Promise of payment
  40. 61Storyline trajectory
  41. 62Large Australian bird
  42. 63Objective
  43. 64Double-helix molecule

The answer to “Young Darth Vader's nickname” in the USA Today crossword is ANI — a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 26, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 14-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.

“Young Darth Vader's nickname” answer

ANI (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 ANI.

What does ANI mean?

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

(noun)

  • a glossy black long-tailed bird of the cuckoo family, with a large deep bill, found in Central and South America

When else has “Young Darth Vader's nickname” 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.

September 26, 2026 (most recent) → ANI. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Young Darth Vader's nickname”?

The answer is ANI, a 3-letter word. It most recently appeared in the USA Today crossword on September 26, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Young Darth Vader's nickname”?

3 letters: ANI.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the USA Today crossword on September 26, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 14-Down.

Can “Young Darth Vader's nickname” 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 September 26, 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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