Puzzle with an extra level

Latest answer — September 03, 2026

45 Across

It comments on or incorporates its own form. 🧩

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WSJ Crossword

This clue's Thursday, September 03, 2026 appearance

Contest: The answer to this week’s contest crossword is a five-letter TV show.

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Across

  1. 1After expenses
  2. 4Address for a longtime buddy
  3. 9Part of MIT
  4. 13Like some poetry
  5. 15Analyze grammatically
  6. 16Serious promise
  7. 171952 western starring Marlon Brando
  8. 19Start to cool?
  9. 20Make amends
  10. 21Something caring folks give
  11. 23Lennon loved her
  12. 241991 Bill Murray comedy
  13. 27Future adolescents
  14. 30Word often followed with a !
  15. 31Atrocious
  16. 32Heist take
  17. 36Tool in school
  18. 402019 superhero movie
  19. 44Rapp on stages
  20. 45Puzzle with an extra level
  21. 46Joke around
  22. 47Like many piano pieces
  23. 49Tricky puzzles
  24. 522016 Ken Loach movie that won the top prize at Cannes
  25. 58Fish with a suggested 1:250 gallons of water ratio
  26. 59Managua month
  27. 60Stranger who just starts interacting with you
  28. 64Lacking duds
  29. 662002 Spike Jonze movie that earned a Best Actor nomination for Nicolas Cage
  30. 68Neutrogena competitor
  31. 69Restaurant with cheeseburgers, maybe
  32. 70Sour fruit
  33. 71Grow smaller
  34. 72Tennis champ Agassi
  35. 73Printing measures

Down

  1. 1Science show
  2. 2Tighten up the copy in
  3. 3Save to watch later
  4. 4Graz grandpa
  5. 5Gently wash against
  6. 6Label available on farfetch.com
  7. 7Something guessers take
  8. 8Seek support from
  9. 9Promise to reimburse
  10. 10Magnate
  11. 11Court reporter
  12. 12Beat
  13. 14Words requesting permission
  14. 18Elf preceder
  15. 22Court position
  16. 25Arthur on many courts
  17. 26Gangster type
  18. 27Ski slope ascender
  19. 28It may be tidal
  20. 29The perfect place
  21. 33Biceps site
  22. 34Call on
  23. 35Rent out
  24. 37Ontario or Michigan
  25. 38Dubai bigwig
  26. 39Some wines
  27. 41Reutlingen rejection
  28. 42Lamp resident
  29. 43Wine valley of California
  30. 48Polite reply
  31. 50Gumbo stuff
  32. 51Stadium fixtures
  33. 52Words of agreement
  34. 53Birthing party
  35. 54Actor Quinn
  36. 55Did some ushering
  37. 56Ranch marking
  38. 57Relaxed runner
  39. 61African flow
  40. 62Dire fate
  41. 63Smallest bills
  42. 65Keep tabs on
  43. 67Quattro preceder

The answer to “Puzzle with an extra level” in the Wall Street Journal crossword is META — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 3, 2026, a Thursday puzzle, at 45-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.

“Puzzle with an extra level” answer

META (4 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 META.

Why the answer is META

It comments on or incorporates its own form. 🧩

What does META mean?

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

(adjective)

  • (of a creative work) referring to itself or to the conventions of its genre; self-referential

When else has “Puzzle with an extra level” 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 3, 2026 (most recent) → META. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Puzzle with an extra level”?

The answer is META, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 3, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Puzzle with an extra level”?

4 letters: META.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the Wall Street Journal crossword on September 3, 2026 (a Thursday puzzle), at 45-Across.

Can “Puzzle with an extra level” 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 3, 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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