Pays to play

Latest answer — September 02, 2026

32 Down

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Clue explained

To ante is to put money into the pot before play in poker or another card game; “antes” is the third-person singular present form, meaning “pays to play.”

Clue type:
Word form
A poker player placing chips into the pot as an ante

WaPo Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, September 02, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Rascal
  2. 6With 30-Across, FIFA women's powerhouse
  3. 10Rip-off
  4. 14Green growth in a pond
  5. 15Rotating shaft
  6. 16Salt-N-Pepa, e.g.
  7. 171990s grunge icon
  8. 19Learning tools
  9. 20Manatee habitat
  10. 21Ray of McDonald's history
  11. 22General locations
  12. 23Some street food vendors
  13. 26VEX creations
  14. 29Make a choice
  15. 30See 6-Across
  16. 33Azerbaijan neighbor
  17. 34Right-hand page
  18. 36Only word spoken in "Silent Movie"
  19. 37Going the faster way, hopefully
  20. 41Former quarterback Manning
  21. 421/16 of a pound
  22. 432026 "Legally Blonde" prequel
  23. 44Taxpayer ID
  24. 45"Sweet!"
  25. 46Make a value judgment
  26. 48Easy A's
  27. 52Result of haste, in an adage
  28. 54Colossal
  29. 55Prefix with -tainment
  30. 58So much
  31. 59Judge's directive, or a feature of each set of circled letters?
  32. 62Junction point
  33. 63Hayride seat, say
  34. 64"All sales are __"
  35. 65Beloved
  36. 66Scrabble board symbol covered in the first play of the game
  37. 67Young horses

Down

  1. 1Fifth Avenue retailer
  2. 2Game with secret passages
  3. 3Taj Mahal city
  4. 4Yoga surface
  5. 5Eat like a bird?
  6. 6Frowned upon
  7. 7Spot-on
  8. 8Legend in the ring
  9. 9Big boys
  10. 10Severely plain
  11. 11Throws in the towel
  12. 12Verdi opera
  13. 13Green growth in a terrarium
  14. 18Middle-earth monsters
  15. 22Many a Hollywood Walk of Fame honoree
  16. 23"Un-Break My Heart" singer Braxton
  17. 24Swiss pharmaceutical giant
  18. 25As many as
  19. 26Ceremonial events
  20. 27Spoken exams
  21. 28Science fair volcano ingredient
  22. 31Spiritual essences
  23. 32Pays to play
  24. 34Total stranger
  25. 35Key near F1
  26. 38América del __: México's continent
  27. 39Green dip, briefly
  28. 40Model/activist Holliday
  29. 46Helper: Abbr.
  30. 47Trigger, as an alarm
  31. 49Total
  32. 50Throat dangler
  33. 51More uncommon
  34. 52Steam __: latte-making gadget
  35. 53Sunburn treatment
  36. 55"Giant" novelist Ferber
  37. 56"Works for me!"
  38. 57Web addresses
  39. 59"48 Hours" airer
  40. 60Breakfast bit that might soak overnight
  41. 61Home of Sugarloaf Mountain

The answer to “Pays to play” in the The Washington Post crossword is ANTES — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 2, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle, at 32-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.

“Pays to play” answer

ANTES (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 ANTES.

What does ANTES mean?

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

(verb)

  • put up an amount as an ante in poker or brag and similar games

When else has “Pays to play” 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.

September 2, 2026 (most recent) → ANTES. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Pays to play”?

The answer is ANTES, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the The Washington Post crossword on September 2, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Pays to play”?

5 letters: ANTES.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the The Washington Post crossword on September 2, 2026 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 32-Down.

Can “Pays to play” 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 September 2, 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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