Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Sunday, January 4, 2026 — every solution for that day's 15×15 (21×21 on Sunday) puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on January 4?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live NYT Crossword answers page.
NYT Crossword answers for January 4, 2026
The full solution for the January 4 NYT Crossword is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Sunday, January 4.
Full NYT Crossword answer list for January 4, 2026
Every clue from the January 4 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.
Across
| # | Clue | Answer |
|---|
| 1 | It protects the heart | RIBCAGE |
| 8 | Egyptian god of the underworld | OSIRIS |
| 14 | Dr.'s order? | AMA |
| 17 | Substances found in cured meats and explosives | NITRATES |
| 18 | Theme park with attractions like The Count's Splash Castle and Oscar's Rusty Rotten Rockets | SESAMEPLACE |
| 21 | High marks | APLUSSES |
| 22 | "That's enough bickering!" | STOPITYOUTWO |
| 24 | Valletta's land | MALTA |
| 25 | Sci-fi protagonist who says "I don't like the idea that I'm not in control of my life" | NEO |
| 27 | Max's opposite | MIN |
| 28 | Morpheus, to 25-Across | MENTOR |
| 29 | Good ol' boy | BUBBA |
| 31 | Actor Thomas ___ Church | HADEN |
| 34 | Stares stupidly | GAWKS |
| 35 | General who crossed the Rubicon | CAESAR |
| 37 | Snubs | IGNORES |
| 39 | Ultimate end, to Aristotle | TELOS |
| 40 | TV E.T. | ALF |
| 41 | Secondary list of options | SUBMENU |
| 43 | ___ Veronese, "The Wedding at Cana" painter | PAOLO |
| 45 | Queen ___ Land (region of Antarctica claimed by Norway) | MAUD |
| 47 | Classification that anyone can donate to | TYPEAB |
| 48 | Got off | ALIT |
| 49 | With warts and all | ASIS |
| 53 | Pesto ingredients | PINENUTS |
| 55 | Made less angry now | PLACATED |
| 58 | Ozone no-no, for short | CFC |
| 59 | The dash in many an emoticon | NOSE |
| 60 | It's a "tyrannical discipline," said Sylvia Plath | POETRY |
| 61 | Titular role in a 2024 Disney prequel | MUFASA |
| 63 | Derived from gold | AURIC |
| 66 | Steals, informally | FILCHES |
| 67 | Something a bug produces | ERROR |
| 68 | Certain Army noncom | SGTMAJ |
| 70 | Points to a church? | SPIRES |
| 71 | What the 7 may mean in 7/11 | JULY |
| 73 | Brewed beverage | ALE |
| 74 | Perseveres | PUSHESON |
| 76 | Certain drink + what that drink has a lot of = women's lifestyle website | POPSUGAR |
| 80 | "Horsefeathers!" | PISH |
| 82 | "Fiddlesticks!" | DRAT |
| 83 | Combine using heat without melting, as particles | SINTER |
| 85 | Make a lot, say? | PAVE |
| 86 | Famed firefighter Red | ADAIR |
| 88 | "All right, but that's not my opinion" | SAYSYOU |
| 90 | L.A.P.D. unit? | LOS |
| 91 | The Lamb | JESUS |
| 93 | Devoted effort to looking attractive | PREENED |
| 96 | Leaning | ASLANT |
| 98 | Bandage brand | CURAD |
| 99 | Possessed, biblically | HADST |
| 100 | Word before winner or after Wonder | BREAD |
| 101 | Brick homes | ADOBES |
| 103 | Buffalo's home: Abbr. | NYS |
| 104 | "Sprechen ___ Deutsch?" | SIE |
| 106 | Eponym of element 96 | CURIE |
| 109 | They'll get there eventually | LATEBLOOMERS |
| 113 | Like the cultivation of land | AGRARIAN |
| 115 | Country whose border shape is the world's roundest | SIERRALEONE |
| 116 | Zero | GOOSEEGG |
| 117 | Co.'s $$$ head | CFO |
| 118 | Steal for ransom | KIDNAP |
| 119 | Whence the phrase "wear one's heart on one's sleeve" | OTHELLO |
Down
| # | Clue | Answer |
|---|
| 1 | Kelly of morning TV | RIPA |
| 2 | "Come on and let loose for a while!" | ITLLBEFUN |
| 3 | Name of Ohio State's buckeye mascot | BRUTUS |
| 4 | Wrinkly fruits | CASABAS |
| 5 | Parts of many online handles | ATS |
| 6 | Davis of "Thelma & Louise" | GEENA |
| 7 | "___ quam videri" (North Carolina's motto) | ESSE |
| 8 | 1940s spy grp. | OSS |
| 9 | Ready ... or a word after ready | SET |
| 10 | Chemist's variant | ISOMER |
| 11 | Violent seizure, as of property | RAPINE |
| 12 | "Sign me up" | IMIN |
| 13 | He scattered his brother's remains across the land and usurped his throne | SET |
| 14 | Soothing goo | ALOEGEL |
| 15 | Hawaiian for "long mountain" | MAUNALOA |
| 16 | Intermission follower on Broadway | ACTTWO |
| 17 | War zone for Rambo, informally | NAM |
| 19 | Poe's "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon ___" | PYM |
| 20 | Wicket and Teebo of Endor, e.g. | EWOKS |
| 23 | Hosp. areas | ORS |
| 26 | "I'm flattered!" | OHGEE |
| 30 | Believing his friend and ally had too much power, he led a party of conspirators to put an end to him | BRUTUS |
| 32 | State capital that's closest to the U.S. Capitol | ANNAPOLIS |
| 33 | Like five Across answers by five Down answers in this puzzle, literally and figuratively | DOUBLECROSSED |
| 35 | Kids' summer getaway | CAMP |
| 36 | Kyrgyzstani mountain range | ALAI |
| 37 | Urchins | IMPS |
| 38 | Fans out | SPLAYS |
| 39 | Where idols go head-to-head? | TOTEM |
| 42 | Small part in a gig | BYTE |
| 44 | British isle | AIT |
| 46 | It's in your jeans | DENIM |
| 48 | Plot divisions | ACRES |
| 50 | Traumatize | SCAR |
| 51 | "Assuming that's true ..." | IFSO |
| 52 | He led his brother to his demise by endangering his nephew | SCAR |
| 54 | "Not gonna lie ..." | NOCAP |
| 56 | First enactors of democracy | ATHENIANS |
| 57 | Fencing contests | DUELS |
| 60 | Chemistry lab dropper | PIPET |
| 62 | Prepare quickly, as eggs for breakfast | FRYUP |
| 63 | Chop-chop | ASAP |
| 64 | Wrinkly fruit | UGLI |
| 65 | GPS lines: Abbr. | RTES |
| 66 | Programming language that's also a musical key | FSHARP |
| 69 | He sold out his master in exchange for silver | JUDAS |
| 71 | Baby in a pouch | JOEY |
| 72 | Pandemonium | UPROAR |
| 75 | Title for a guru | SRI |
| 76 | Survivor's affliction, for short | PTSD |
| 77 | Elf portrayed by Cate Blanchett in "The Fellowship of the Ring" | GALADRIEL |
| 78 | Big name in makeup | AVON |
| 79 | Music score squiggle | REST |
| 81 | Disagrees (with) | HASABEEF |
| 84 | Ixnays from Irkutsk | NYETS |
| 87 | Obnoxious fratty sort, colloquially | DUDEBRO |
| 89 | Possible scenario, to a coder | USECASE |
| 91 | 2011 Lady Gaga hit | JUDAS |
| 92 | Steamy | EROTIC |
| 94 | Paired chips with dips? | RHYMED |
| 95 | Touch lightly, as a gas pedal | EASEON |
| 97 | Floral victory symbol | LAUREL |
| 98 | Lead-in to Tech | CAL |
| 100 | Spawned | BEGOT |
| 102 | Camera inits. | SLR |
| 103 | ___ me tangere (Latin warning) | NOLI |
| 105 | Jafar's parrot in "Aladdin" | IAGO |
| 107 | Driven by envy toward his comrades, he fabricated events that led to their downfall | IAGO |
| 108 | Official lang. of Liberia | ENG |
| 110 | Acorn, in the future | OAK |
| 111 | Messenger ___ | RNA |
| 112 | Birth month of most Virgos: Abbr. | SEP |
| 114 | "Ruh-___!" (cry from Astro on "The Jetsons") | ROH |
Hints for the January 4 puzzle
Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The January 4 puzzle fell on a Sunday, and with the New York Times crossword that matters: the grid gets harder as the week goes on, from an easy Monday to a fiendish Saturday, with a large themed puzzle on Sunday. So a Sunday grid tells you how much misdirection to expect — and if a clue that day seemed to make no sense, the weekday is usually the reason. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.
Looking for a different day?
Prefer to solve rather than peek? The play button opens the puzzle so you can try that day's grid yourself, then come back to check your answers. Stuck on a single clue from any puzzle, our crossword solver reveals just that answer from your known letters.
Frequently asked questions
What were the NYT Crossword answers on January 4, 2026?
Every answer for the Sunday, January 4, 2026 NYT Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.
Where can I find today's NYT Crossword answers?
Today's live puzzle is on our NYT Crossword answers today page, updated the moment each new grid goes live.
How do I look up a different date?
Use the previous/next links above to step day by day, or open the today page to browse the full dated archive.
