Mess up

Latest answer — August 05, 2026

1 Across

To do something badly or make a mistake is to commit this kind of error. 😅

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, August 05, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Mess up
  2. 6Beer foam
  3. 10Golden Arches sandwich
  4. 15Sneeze sound
  5. 16Upfront stake
  6. 17Family, in Hawaiian
  7. 18First lesson in "How To DJ"?
  8. 21Summer shirts
  9. 22"Let me say it again ... "
  10. 23Antlered grazer
  11. 24Trauma ctrs.
  12. 25Vocalized
  13. 26First lesson in "Plumbing: A Beginner's Guide"?
  14. 32Rights org.
  15. 35Uttered
  16. 36Mexican state on the Gulf of California
  17. 37Leap happily
  18. 39Some jeans
  19. 41Lute in Hindi cinema
  20. 42Hosts
  21. 442022 Super Bowl winners
  22. 46Forecast no.
  23. 47First lesson in "Sport Climbing and You"?
  24. 50Like Death Valley
  25. 51Coconut __
  26. 52Poke bowl protein
  27. 55Home exercise bike brand
  28. 59Natural disaster, legally
  29. 61First lesson in "A Handbook of Competitive Eating"?
  30. 63More frigid
  31. 64Ingredient in a cooling lotion
  32. 65Locations for Christmas lights
  33. 66Welcome relief on a hot day
  34. 67Scottish lids
  35. 68High-protein grain

Down

  1. 1Slather with butter, perhaps
  2. 2In base eight
  3. 3"You'll __ me someday"
  4. 4Winery keepsake
  5. 5Throat-soothing brew
  6. 6Ice dweller off the coast of Greenland
  7. 7Actress Mireille
  8. 8Self-serve bank device
  9. 9"You are my fire / The one __": "I Want It That Way" opening lyrics
  10. 10Cherries atop Black Forest cake
  11. 11Crack, as lips
  12. 12Assign stars to
  13. 13Cuzco civilization
  14. 14Thai currency whose symbol was once used to represent Bitcoin
  15. 19Tined flatware
  16. 20Dice game
  17. 25"Heavens!"
  18. 26Guitar peg, e.g.
  19. 27Like the rice terraces of the Philippine Cordilleras
  20. 28Bushels and pecks
  21. 29Scribbled reminder
  22. 30Family nickname
  23. 31Wyatt of Tombstone
  24. 32Biblical brother
  25. 33"Follow me"
  26. 34Pixar film about a young sea monster
  27. 38Unfold, as a protein
  28. 40Makes out
  29. 43Sharpen on a leather belt
  30. 45Ill will
  31. 48Suggest
  32. 49Gets married by Elvis, perhaps
  33. 52Tequila plant
  34. 53Guest spot?
  35. 54Namely
  36. 55Trident-shaped letters
  37. 56__ A Sketch
  38. 57Skywalker raised on Alderaan
  39. 58Pointed column
  40. 59Chemistry class model
  41. 60Try to fly
  42. 62Lisbon greeting

The answer to “Mess up” in the The Washington Post crossword is BOTCH — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on August 5, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 1-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.

“Mess up” answer

BOTCH (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 BOTCH.

Why the answer is BOTCH

To do something badly or make a mistake is to commit this kind of error. 😅

What does BOTCH mean?

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

(verb)

  • carry out (a task) badly or carelessly

When else has “Mess up” 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Mess up”?

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

How many letters is the answer to “Mess up”?

5 letters: BOTCH.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on August 5, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 1-Across.

Can “Mess up” 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 August 5, 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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