Ink mishap

Latest answer — July 27, 2026

62 Across

A little blunder on the page can leave a messy mark 🖋️

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Monday, July 27, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Sarcastic ET of 1980s TV
  2. 4School vehicles
  3. 9"That really sticks in my __!"
  4. 13Laugh syllable
  5. 14"Humble" home
  6. 15"Quiet, you!"
  7. 16Blackjack card
  8. 17News outlets
  9. 18Florida city near St. Petersburg
  10. 19Oktoberfest sausage, informally
  11. 21__ pentameter
  12. 22Soft murmur
  13. 23Returned home
  14. 24Raise a false alarm
  15. 28Tennis legend Arthur
  16. 29Chest muscles, for short
  17. 30Secondary Insta accounts
  18. 32Dog park sounds
  19. 35Feel crummy
  20. 36Soft R&B ballad
  21. 38Deli bread
  22. 40Long part of a guitar or a giraffe
  23. 42Causes of sorrow
  24. 43Solange, to Blue Ivy Carter
  25. 44Surrealist Magritte
  26. 46Skating hazard
  27. 48Market research company often cited in car ads
  28. 51WSJ competitor
  29. 52Mended, as socks
  30. 53Sets of sculpted abs, and what the ends of 19-, 23-, 24-, 36-, 46-, and 48-Across are altogether
  31. 58Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie __"
  32. 59Former "Top Chef" host Lakshmi
  33. 60Santa __, California
  34. 61Promotes heavily
  35. 62Ink mishap
  36. 63Bar barrel
  37. 64Finishes
  38. 65Leavening agent
  39. 66Bighorn's mother

Down

  1. 1"Moby-Dick" captain
  2. 2Ruth Bader Ginsburg's collar fabric
  3. 3Give away instead of throw away
  4. 4Panda's diet
  5. 5Ridesharing rival of Lyft
  6. 6__ fountain
  7. 7Amend text
  8. 8Salty body of water
  9. 9Room
  10. 10Ballroom dance from Cuba
  11. 11Gelatinous dish
  12. 12Wallop
  13. 15Jason of "Hobbs & Shaw"
  14. 20Competes on the crew team
  15. 21Apple platform
  16. 23Bunsen burner nozzle
  17. 24Pro who's a master of deduction?
  18. 25Harness strap
  19. 26Kareem's former team, on scoreboards
  20. 27Bloom
  21. 31Number of players in checkers
  22. 33Rich dessert with a long shelf life
  23. 34Lip-__: mouth the words
  24. 36Barbecue rods
  25. 37Campfire residue
  26. 39French summer
  27. 41Pastry hybrids
  28. 43Actress Taylor-Joy
  29. 45"Toy Story 3" voice actor Beatty
  30. 47To some extent
  31. 48Matchmaking platform available in Hebrew
  32. 49Comedian Wayans
  33. 50Self-satisfied
  34. 53"We're on the __ page"
  35. 54Bit of inspiration
  36. 55Short holiday?
  37. 56Was sure about
  38. 57Fragrant herb
  39. 59College maj. for an aspiring therapist

The answer to “Ink mishap” in the The Washington Post crossword is SMEAR — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on July 27, 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.

“Ink mishap” answer

SMEAR (5 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 SMEAR.

Why the answer is SMEAR

A little blunder on the page can leave a messy mark 🖋️

What does SMEAR mean?

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

(verb)

  • coat or mark (something) messily or carelessly with a greasy or sticky substance
  • damage the reputation of (someone) by false accusations; slander

When else has “Ink mishap” appeared?

The Washington Post 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 27, 2026 (most recent) → SMEAR. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Ink mishap”?

The answer is SMEAR, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on July 27, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Ink mishap”?

5 letters: SMEAR.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on July 27, 2026 (a Monday puzzle), at 62-Across.

Can “Ink mishap” have a different answer?

Yes — The Washington Post 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 WaPo Crossword answers?

The full grid for July 27, 2026 is on the WaPo Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

The Washington Post Crossword is published by The Washington Post; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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