Change gears in a Ford?

Latest answer — September 22, 2026

20 Across

Scroll down for rest of crossword answers

Clue explained

The Ford Focus is a car, so “change gears in a Ford?” whimsically suggests “shift the Focus.” The question mark signals this pun on the model name and the phrase “shift the focus.”

Clue type:
Pun or wordplay
A Ford Focus shown with its gear shift in the foreground.

WSJ Crossword

This clue's Tuesday, September 22, 2026 appearance

Tap a square to reveal a letter.

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

Across

  1. 1Sacred song
  2. 6Business offering wraps
  3. 9Page near the front of many fantasy novels
  4. 12Expire
  5. 14Word beside a harp on some euro coins
  6. 16Red Sox outfielder White
  7. 17Heir’s concern
  8. 18Unruffled
  9. 19Paycheck deduction
  10. 20Change gears in a Ford?
  11. 23Clarification on a misspelling
  12. 24Retinal receptor
  13. 25Encourage
  14. 28Exit the Subaru?
  15. 32Unlikely, as chances go
  16. 34Conk out
  17. 35Letters on Broadway buses
  18. 36Prepared for print
  19. 39Evil act
  20. 42Planet, poetically
  21. 43Beatles descriptor
  22. 45Lab procedure
  23. 46Unveil a Kia?
  24. 51Barbershop offering
  25. 52Corn unit
  26. 53Anaheim team, on scoreboards
  27. 56Catch up to the Honda?
  28. 61Cannes consent
  29. 63Cheer (for)
  30. 64Lamented loudly
  31. 65Double helix stuff
  32. 66Nibble
  33. 67Enchanting quality
  34. 68Dress in
  35. 69Peg for Pebble Beach
  36. 70Hardly loquacious

Down

  1. 1Iron
  2. 2Fish dish
  3. 3Bit of high jinks
  4. 4Bakery unit
  5. 5Pound pick
  6. 6Broke away
  7. 7Singer Edith
  8. 8Folk singer Guthrie
  9. 9Citi Field doings
  10. 10Copying
  11. 11Selfies, slangily
  12. 13Aquarium fish
  13. 15Quiz show VIP
  14. 21Carpool lane, in brief
  15. 22Big name in Australian footwear
  16. 26Smallish a cappella group, perhaps
  17. 27Long-distance swimmer Diana
  18. 28Pot part
  19. 29Moody music
  20. 30Aspiration
  21. 31Island adornment
  22. 32Jazz great Vaughan
  23. 33One for the books?
  24. 36High tennis hits
  25. 37Enigmatic hoverer
  26. 38Frat letter
  27. 40Disco ___ (“The Simpsons” character)
  28. 41E. Coast state
  29. 44Midwife’s instruction
  30. 47Eden evictee
  31. 48Long (for)
  32. 49Japanese honorific
  33. 50Ad suffix akin to -palooza
  34. 53Solitary sort
  35. 54Regions
  36. 55Confuse greatly
  37. 57Aquatic bird
  38. 58Radiator attachment
  39. 59Egyptian Christian
  40. 60Superhero accessory
  41. 61Out of the ordinary
  42. 62Cancún count start

The answer to “Change gears in a Ford?” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is SHIFTTHEFOCUS — a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 22, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle, at 20-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.

“Change gears in a Ford?” answer

SHIFTTHEFOCUS (13 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 SHIFTTHEFOCUS.

When else has “Change gears in a Ford?” appeared?

Wall Street Journal 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 22, 2026 (most recent) → SHIFTTHEFOCUS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Change gears in a Ford?”?

The answer is SHIFTTHEFOCUS, a 13-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 22, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Change gears in a Ford?”?

13 letters: SHIFTTHEFOCUS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 22, 2026 (a Tuesday puzzle), at 20-Across.

Can “Change gears in a Ford?” have a different answer?

Yes — Wall Street Journal 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 WSJ answers?

The full grid for September 22, 2026 is on the WSJ answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

Wall Street Journal Crossword is published by The Wall Street Journal; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

Crossword Clues

Looking up a clue? Jump into today's answers and clue help from top puzzles.