Use Your Words

By Rena Cohen

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Across

  1. 19TotalENTIRE
  2. 25Concert lineupsSETLISTS
  3. 28TroubleWOE
  4. 40PulsatesTHROBS
  5. 85QuarrelsSPATS
  6. 100Go over againREREAD
  7. 107KerfuffleTODO
  8. 108OodlesGOBS
  9. 118Wedding planner's aid?VENUEDIAGRAM
  10. 122"5 stars"ILOVEDIT
  11. 124Stab of painTWINGE
  12. 125ValuesASSESSES

Down

  1. 2OverrunINFEST
  2. 15Carry inBRING
  3. 35___ childINNER
  4. 46___ LamaDALAI
  5. 59VegasSINCITY
  6. 60SensationSMASH
  7. 68.........DOTS
  8. 71ViaUSING
  9. 81"If only!"IWISH
  10. 83Bête ___NOIRE
  11. 101PrettifiesADORNS

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Bit of regal headwear — Answer: DIADEM
  2. 7. Singer Horne — Answer: LENA
  3. 11. Develops alopecia — Answer: GOESBALD
  4. 19. Total — Answer: ENTIRE
  5. 20. 2022 World Series champ — Answer: ASTRO
  6. 22. College town nicknamed "A2" — Answer: ANNARBOR
  7. 23. Like the Gospel of Mark, sequentially? — Answer: AFTERMATTHEW
  8. 25. Concert lineups — Answer: SETLISTS
  9. 26. Matriarch of six of the 12 tribes of Israel — Answer: LEAH
  10. 27. Make a choice — Answer: OPT. Hint: Choose one possibility from the available options 🎯
  11. 28. Trouble — Answer: WOE
  12. 30. 1982 film whose name is a security program — Answer: TRON
  13. 31. Text that says "Congratulations! You've won a MacBook Pro," probably — Answer: SCAM
  14. 33. Prepare for a mechanic's certification exam? — Answer: REVIEWTHEENGINE
  15. 40. Pulsates — Answer: THROBS
  16. 42. Rock's Plastic ___ Band — Answer: ONO
  17. 43. Central parts of planets — Answer: CORES
  18. 44. Hairdresser's supply — Answer: DYE
  19. 45. Molecule that might be modeled with Twizzlers and gummies in biology class — Answer: DNA
  20. 46. Soft shots, in tennis — Answer: DINKS
  21. 48. Meditative chants — Answer: OMS
  22. 49. Plant used in pickling — Answer: DILL
  23. 50. H.S. exam whose highest score is 36 — Answer: ACT
  24. 53. Source of income for a website — Answer: ADSALE
  25. 55. Half of a popular social media app — Answer: TIK
  26. 57. Discontinued iPods designed to fit into watch pockets — Answer: NANOS
  27. 58. Original people to move into Cancún's peninsula? — Answer: THESETTLERSOFYUCATAN
  28. 63. Affectionate term for una madre — Answer: MAMI
  29. 64. Designation for the Louisville Bats and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp — Answer: AAA
  30. 65. Preceder of Peacock and White in the game Clue — Answer: MRS
  31. 66. "Big" comic protagonist — Answer: NATE
  32. 67. "Don't look at me for help" ... or a phonetic hint to this puzzle's theme — Answer: SOUNDSLIKEAYOUPROBLEM
  33. 75. Dove's dwelling — Answer: COTE
  34. 76. Wii remote batteries — Answer: AAS
  35. 77. Sloth in 2002's "Ice Age" — Answer: SID
  36. 78. Sensation before a migraine, medically — Answer: AURA
  37. 79. Gets married while wearing protective gear? — Answer: UNITESINSHININGARMOR
  38. 85. Quarrels — Answer: SPATS
  39. 86. Itty-bitty — Answer: WEE. Hint: A playful way to describe something extremely small. 🐜
  40. 87. Japanese craft that literally translates to "tray planting" — Answer: BONSAI
  41. 88. "This Is your brain on drugs," e.g., for short — Answer: PSA
  42. 89. Best-selling romance author Jimenez — Answer: ABBY
  43. 90. One of 2,214 for Babe Ruth — Answer: RBI
  44. 92. "Shrek!" author William — Answer: STEIG
  45. 94. Common item at a checkout line, informally — Answer: MAG
  46. 96. #1 spot in London? — Answer: LOO
  47. 97. Honkers without horns — Answer: GEESE
  48. 99. It might come with a shell — Answer: OAR
  49. 100. Go over again — Answer: REREAD
  50. 103. List of restaurant offerings for kids not yet three years old? — Answer: TWOANDAHALFMENU
  51. 107. Kerfuffle — Answer: TODO
  52. 108. Oodles — Answer: GOBS
  53. 109. Someone who might issue a travel warning? — Answer: REF
  54. 110. "Roger that!" — Answer: YEP
  55. 112. Name that means "pink" in Spanish — Answer: ROSA
  56. 114. Relative of a husky — Answer: MALAMUTE
  57. 118. Wedding planner's aid? — Answer: VENUEDIAGRAM
  58. 122. "5 stars" — Answer: ILOVEDIT
  59. 123. It might raise a bunch of dough — Answer: YEAST
  60. 124. Stab of pain — Answer: TWINGE
  61. 125. Values — Answer: ASSESSES
  62. 126. Businesses offering mud masks — Answer: SPAS
  63. 127. Pulls the chain of, so to speak — Answer: TEASES

Down

  1. 1. Word on either side of "or no" — Answer: DEAL
  2. 2. Overrun — Answer: INFEST
  3. 3. Add electronically, in a way — Answer: ATTACH
  4. 4. Like a really big fan — Answer: DIEHARD
  5. 5. Go wrong — Answer: ERR. Hint: Sometimes we make a mistake, but it's all part of learning! 🤭
  6. 6. Bad thing not to get (especially at the office?) — Answer: MEMO
  7. 7. The Cinnamon Dolce or the Blonde Vanilla, at Starbucks — Answer: LATTE
  8. 8. "Silentium ___ aureum" ("Silence is golden") — Answer: EST
  9. 9. High degree — Answer: NTH. Hint: Consider the term used to describe the ultimate level of something! 🔝
  10. 10. "Is it time to rethink this relationship?" — Answer: AREWEOK
  11. 11. Hilarious thing — Answer: GAS
  12. 12. Like George H.W. Bush, but not George W. Bush — Answer: ONETERM
  13. 13. Starters' followers — Answer: ENTREES
  14. 14. Businesses whose employees work standing up — Answer: SALONS
  15. 15. Carry in — Answer: BRING
  16. 16. "Chiseled" features — Answer: ABS
  17. 17. Destiny in life — Answer: LOT
  18. 18. Hippocratic oath followers, for short — Answer: DRS
  19. 21. "Stop! That hurts!" — Answer: OWOW
  20. 24. Car financing figs. — Answer: APRS
  21. 29. List shortener — Answer: ETC
  22. 32. "Hidden Figures" co-star Janelle — Answer: MONAE
  23. 34. Breathable fabric used in mosquito nets — Answer: VOILE
  24. 35. ___ child — Answer: INNER
  25. 36. What a bad student might play — Answer: HOOKY
  26. 37. Menzel of Broadway — Answer: IDINA
  27. 38. Guitar string material — Answer: NYLON
  28. 39. Fish traditionally in the British dish "pie and mash" — Answer: EELS
  29. 41. What kitsch exhibits — Answer: BADTASTE
  30. 46. ___ Lama — Answer: DALAI
  31. 47. Part of a bedtime routine — Answer: STORY
  32. 49. Healthy, fiber-rich snack — Answer: DATEBAR
  33. 50. Where some bills originate — Answer: ATMS
  34. 51. Former transportation secretary Elaine — Answer: CHAO
  35. 52. Chinese competitor of Amazon — Answer: TEMU
  36. 54. Loses freshness — Answer: STALES
  37. 56. "In that case ..." — Answer: IFSO
  38. 57. Grp. that Sweden joined in 2024 — Answer: NATO
  39. 59. Vegas — Answer: SINCITY
  40. 60. Sensation — Answer: SMASH. Hint: This powerful impact is sure to leave an impression! 💥
  41. 61. Removes from the top of one's profile, as an Instagram post — Answer: UNPINS
  42. 62. Hearts or spades, but not diamonds — Answer: CARDGAME
  43. 68. ......... — Answer: DOTS
  44. 69. Classic Orson Welles protagonist — Answer: KANE
  45. 70. Ameliorates — Answer: EASES
  46. 71. Via — Answer: USING
  47. 72. Feature of undermixed batter — Answer: LUMP
  48. 73. Greek god whose name becomes a flower if you move the first letter to the end — Answer: EROS
  49. 74. Golden Globe nominee Rooney — Answer: MARA
  50. 79. "V," to a violinist — Answer: UPBOW
  51. 80. Padmé Amidala's home planet in "Star Wars" — Answer: NABOO
  52. 81. "If only!" — Answer: IWISH
  53. 82. Steel girder — Answer: IBEAM. Hint: A sturdy structural support with a distinctive flanged shape, often used in buildings and bridges 🏗️
  54. 83. Bête ___ — Answer: NOIRE
  55. 84. Images that can rip off human creators, perhaps — Answer: AIART
  56. 85. Pretzel topper — Answer: SALT
  57. 90. Trees with heart-shaped leaves — Answer: REDBUDS
  58. 91. Creature, cutesily — Answer: BEASTIE
  59. 93. Candies that crack with a crunch — Answer: TOFFEES
  60. 95. Last of the 13 original colonies to be founded — Answer: GEORGIA
  61. 97. Some lawn ornaments — Answer: GNOMES
  62. 98. Part of E.N.T. — Answer: EAR
  63. 100. Kicked oneself for — Answer: RUED
  64. 101. Prettifies — Answer: ADORNS
  65. 102. 500 mg 2x/day, e.g. — Answer: DOSAGE
  66. 104. Source of a natural sweetener — Answer: AGAVE
  67. 105. Last name shared by three actors on "Schitt's Creek" — Answer: LEVY
  68. 106. Russian denials — Answer: NYETS
  69. 111. The Panthers of the A.C.C. — Answer: PITT
  70. 113. Midwest city whose name becomes a Southwest city if you move the first letter to the end — Answer: AMES
  71. 114. Not around, informally — Answer: MIA
  72. 115. Hirt and Hirschfeld — Answer: ALS
  73. 116. Día de ___ Reyes Magos — Answer: LOS
  74. 117. They're often depicted with green skin, for short — Answer: ETS
  75. 119. Something much needed after an all-nighter — Answer: NAP
  76. 120. Today preceder — Answer: USA
  77. 121. Leave speechless — Answer: AWE

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Sunday, January 18, 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 18?” 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 18, 2026

The full solution for the January 18 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 18.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for January 18, 2026

Every clue from the January 18 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Bit of regal headwearDIADEM
7Singer HorneLENA
11Develops alopeciaGOESBALD
19TotalENTIRE
202022 World Series champASTRO
22College town nicknamed "A2"ANNARBOR
23Like the Gospel of Mark, sequentially?AFTERMATTHEW
25Concert lineupsSETLISTS
26Matriarch of six of the 12 tribes of IsraelLEAH
27Make a choiceOPT
28TroubleWOE
301982 film whose name is a security programTRON
31Text that says "Congratulations! You've won a MacBook Pro," probablySCAM
33Prepare for a mechanic's certification exam?REVIEWTHEENGINE
40PulsatesTHROBS
42Rock's Plastic ___ BandONO
43Central parts of planetsCORES
44Hairdresser's supplyDYE
45Molecule that might be modeled with Twizzlers and gummies in biology classDNA
46Soft shots, in tennisDINKS
48Meditative chantsOMS
49Plant used in picklingDILL
50H.S. exam whose highest score is 36ACT
53Source of income for a websiteADSALE
55Half of a popular social media appTIK
57Discontinued iPods designed to fit into watch pocketsNANOS
58Original people to move into Cancún's peninsula?THESETTLERSOFYUCATAN
63Affectionate term for una madreMAMI
64Designation for the Louisville Bats and Jacksonville Jumbo ShrimpAAA
65Preceder of Peacock and White in the game ClueMRS
66"Big" comic protagonistNATE
67"Don't look at me for help" ... or a phonetic hint to this puzzle's themeSOUNDSLIKEAYOUPROBLEM
75Dove's dwellingCOTE
76Wii remote batteriesAAS
77Sloth in 2002's "Ice Age"SID
78Sensation before a migraine, medicallyAURA
79Gets married while wearing protective gear?UNITESINSHININGARMOR
85QuarrelsSPATS
86Itty-bittyWEE
87Japanese craft that literally translates to "tray planting"BONSAI
88"This Is your brain on drugs," e.g., for shortPSA
89Best-selling romance author JimenezABBY
90One of 2,214 for Babe RuthRBI
92"Shrek!" author WilliamSTEIG
94Common item at a checkout line, informallyMAG
96#1 spot in London?LOO
97Honkers without hornsGEESE
99It might come with a shellOAR
100Go over againREREAD
103List of restaurant offerings for kids not yet three years old?TWOANDAHALFMENU
107KerfuffleTODO
108OodlesGOBS
109Someone who might issue a travel warning?REF
110"Roger that!"YEP
112Name that means "pink" in SpanishROSA
114Relative of a huskyMALAMUTE
118Wedding planner's aid?VENUEDIAGRAM
122"5 stars"ILOVEDIT
123It might raise a bunch of doughYEAST
124Stab of painTWINGE
125ValuesASSESSES
126Businesses offering mud masksSPAS
127Pulls the chain of, so to speakTEASES

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Word on either side of "or no"DEAL
2OverrunINFEST
3Add electronically, in a wayATTACH
4Like a really big fanDIEHARD
5Go wrongERR
6Bad thing not to get (especially at the office?)MEMO
7The Cinnamon Dolce or the Blonde Vanilla, at StarbucksLATTE
8"Silentium ___ aureum" ("Silence is golden")EST
9High degreeNTH
10"Is it time to rethink this relationship?"AREWEOK
11Hilarious thingGAS
12Like George H.W. Bush, but not George W. BushONETERM
13Starters' followersENTREES
14Businesses whose employees work standing upSALONS
15Carry inBRING
16"Chiseled" featuresABS
17Destiny in lifeLOT
18Hippocratic oath followers, for shortDRS
21"Stop! That hurts!"OWOW
24Car financing figs.APRS
29List shortenerETC
32"Hidden Figures" co-star JanelleMONAE
34Breathable fabric used in mosquito netsVOILE
35___ childINNER
36What a bad student might playHOOKY
37Menzel of BroadwayIDINA
38Guitar string materialNYLON
39Fish traditionally in the British dish "pie and mash"EELS
41What kitsch exhibitsBADTASTE
46___ LamaDALAI
47Part of a bedtime routineSTORY
49Healthy, fiber-rich snackDATEBAR
50Where some bills originateATMS
51Former transportation secretary ElaineCHAO
52Chinese competitor of AmazonTEMU
54Loses freshnessSTALES
56"In that case ..."IFSO
57Grp. that Sweden joined in 2024NATO
59VegasSINCITY
60SensationSMASH
61Removes from the top of one's profile, as an Instagram postUNPINS
62Hearts or spades, but not diamondsCARDGAME
68.........DOTS
69Classic Orson Welles protagonistKANE
70AmelioratesEASES
71ViaUSING
72Feature of undermixed batterLUMP
73Greek god whose name becomes a flower if you move the first letter to the endEROS
74Golden Globe nominee RooneyMARA
79"V," to a violinistUPBOW
80Padmé Amidala's home planet in "Star Wars"NABOO
81"If only!"IWISH
82Steel girderIBEAM
83Bête ___NOIRE
84Images that can rip off human creators, perhapsAIART
85Pretzel topperSALT
90Trees with heart-shaped leavesREDBUDS
91Creature, cutesilyBEASTIE
93Candies that crack with a crunchTOFFEES
95Last of the 13 original colonies to be foundedGEORGIA
97Some lawn ornamentsGNOMES
98Part of E.N.T.EAR
100Kicked oneself forRUED
101PrettifiesADORNS
102500 mg 2x/day, e.g.DOSAGE
104Source of a natural sweetenerAGAVE
105Last name shared by three actors on "Schitt's Creek"LEVY
106Russian denialsNYETS
111The Panthers of the A.C.C.PITT
113Midwest city whose name becomes a Southwest city if you move the first letter to the endAMES
114Not around, informallyMIA
115Hirt and HirschfeldALS
116Día de ___ Reyes MagosLOS
117They're often depicted with green skin, for shortETS
119Something much needed after an all-nighterNAP
120Today precederUSA
121Leave speechlessAWE

Hints for the January 18 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The January 18 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?

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Frequently asked questions

What were the NYT Crossword answers on January 18, 2026?

Every answer for the Sunday, January 18, 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.

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