Inert gas

Latest answer — July 23, 2026

36 Down

A noble gas often used in bright lamps and sci-fi flashbacks 💡

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WSJ Crossword

This clue's Thursday, July 23, 2026 appearance

Contest: The answer to this week’s contest crossword is a three-word TV show title.

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Across

  1. 1Sub contractors?
  2. 6Bloc with barrels
  3. 10Revered one
  4. 14Scene of battle
  5. 15___-do-well
  6. 16Southern city, briefly
  7. 17Cast member of “Justified” and “The Detour”
  8. 19Ado
  9. 20Good surname for an ISP owner
  10. 21Maritime mammals
  11. 23Diner dish
  12. 26Popular pinot producer
  13. 29“Honey in the Horn” trumpeter
  14. 31Tin Pan Alley great Carmichael
  15. 32Lacy mat
  16. 33On the vulgar side
  17. 34Not strict
  18. 37Film for which Joanne Woodward won Best Actress, with “The”
  19. 41Sturdy wood
  20. 42Leia’s sibling
  21. 43Refuge
  22. 44France’s longest river
  23. 46City on a Great Lake
  24. 47Irish philanthropist who founded homes for poor children
  25. 51Astin of “Rudy”
  26. 52Lexus lifesaver
  27. 53Move like melted cheese
  28. 55Miss ___ (1990s TV psychic)
  29. 56“Jurassic World Rebirth” star, briefly
  30. 62Catch word of
  31. 63Maker of the A3, Q5 and R8
  32. 64Personnel
  33. 65Inquires
  34. 66Turner and Danson
  35. 67Maker of small trucks

Down

  1. 1Levy on TV screens
  2. 2Noted time
  3. 3Rent out
  4. 4Sometime soon
  5. 5Shopper’s draw
  6. 6Year in the reign of Augustus
  7. 7Bricks from dispensers
  8. 8Wide shoe size
  9. 9“Where the ___ Sing” (2018 Delia Owens novel)
  10. 10Dishonor
  11. 11Birth specialist
  12. 12Surname of famed twins
  13. 13Yogurt-based drink
  14. 18“What’ll probably happen is...”
  15. 22Unfairly take most of
  16. 23Couldn’t not
  17. 24Island farewell
  18. 25Dodge, as a duty
  19. 27Red or black piece
  20. 281975 Ringo Starr hit
  21. 30Reuben base
  22. 33Dern in “Big Little Lies”
  23. 34Flood stopper
  24. 35Maker of Nutriplenish shampoo
  25. 36Inert gas
  26. 38Tries to hit with
  27. 39Startled cry
  28. 40High voice
  29. 44Herculean efforts
  30. 45TV judge Rita
  31. 46Spanner or mallet, say
  32. 47Country house
  33. 48Agitates
  34. 49Get the pool game going
  35. 50Day in old Hollywood
  36. 54Pizzazz
  37. 57Signal
  38. 58Tack on
  39. 59Get a little darker
  40. 60Half dollar figure, briefly
  41. 61Two ___ kind

The answer to “Inert gas” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is XENON — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 23, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 36-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.

“Inert gas” answer

XENON (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 XENON.

Why the answer is XENON

A noble gas often used in bright lamps and sci-fi flashbacks 💡

What does XENON mean?

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

(noun)

  • the chemical element of atomic number 54, a member of the noble gas series. It is obtained by distillation of liquid air, and is used in some specialized electric lamps

When else has “Inert gas” 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.

July 23, 2026 (most recent) → XENON. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Inert gas”?

The answer is XENON, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 23, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Inert gas”?

5 letters: XENON.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on July 23, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 36-Down.

Can “Inert gas” 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 July 23, 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.

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