Rise to the Power

By Tracy Gray

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

Across

  1. 128Zest

Down

Next NYT Crossword update in

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A new puzzle unlocks at 10 p.m. Eastern on weekdays and 6 p.m. Eastern on weekends (Sun, Sep 20, 10:10 PM UTC).

Looking for today's NYT Crossword answers? The complete solution to the daily New York Times puzzle — dated September 20, 2026 — is at the top of this page, updated the moment the new grid is released. The Times crossword is the most famous puzzle in the world and, later in the week, one of the hardest, so getting wedged in a corner is part of the experience. Whether you want to confirm a finished grid, unlock a single square, or see the whole solution, every across and down answer is listed below.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for today

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

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Special-orderedCUSTOM
7Sections of a circle's circumferenceARCS
11NASCAR stat that varies widely by venueLAPTIME
18Banderas of 2024's "Babygirl"ANTONIO
20Coaster feature, maybeLOOP
21Assembles in proper orderCOLLATES
22Mar, as a reputationTARNISH
23See 25-AcrossFOUR
24MalignsASPERSES
25With 23-Across, March Madness tournament roundSWEETTWO
27Mouths (off)SPOUTS
29Pact that preceded the U.S.M.C.A.NAFTA
30Burnable bog stuffPEAT
31Burnt chimney stuffSOOT
33High-speed Olympic sportLUGE
34See 37-AcrossTWO
35One who might have perfect pitch?ADMAN
37With 34-Across, full extent of somethingWHOLETHREEYARDS
43"Holy moly!"GOD
45Defensive player who keeps an eye on the QB, in football lingoSPY
46Red-coated cheeseEDAM
47"___ funny!"TOO
48BigwigHOTSHOT
52Own (up)FESS
55It's off the wall!RICOCHET
57"Red" or "1989," to SwiftiesERA
58Buck ___, first African American coach in Major League BaseballONEIL
60Extremely soft, in music: Abbr.PPP
62See 64-AcrossTHREE
63Chew the fatYAK
64With 62-Across, Beatles classic with the lyric "Will you still need me / Will you still feed me"WHENIMFOUR
67Noted exile isleELBA
69Energy-efficient bulb, for shortLED
71___ orange, tree whose fruit has a brainlike appearanceOSAGE
72Native NebraskansOTOES
75See 78-AcrossSIX
76Author who purportedly drew inspiration from a filing cabinet labeled "O-Z"BAUM
78With 75-Across, "So very appreciated!"THANKSATEN
81Hold upROB
83Narnia or NeverlandREALM
86Give it a whirlTRY
87Violinmaker of CremonaAMATI
88Letters from your folks?DNA
89"So cool!"REALNEAT
92Follower of John in the New TestamentACTS
94Chef with "New New Orleans"-style cookingLAGASSE
96Greatest guy?ALI
97See 101-AcrossZERO
98VentAIR
100Part of SCOTUSTHE
101With 97-Across, Vegas casino machineNINEARMEDBANDIT
107No-cash dealTRADE
111Lay offCAN
112Culprit, in police lingoPERP
113Modern pentathlon equipmentEPEE
115Metaphor for a too-hot roomOVEN
116Actress Christine whose last name sounds like a pair of musical notesLAHTI
118Ill willMALICE
120Number written above and to the right of another number ... as seen five times in this puzzle?EXPONENT
122Weigh down, and then someOVERLOAD
124Number with a 120-Across, mathematicallyBASE
126Armand of "American Gangster"ASSANTE
127Many mailbox stuffersLOCALADS
128ZestELAN
129Iced tea requestNOSUGAR
130ClumsyAWKWARD
131Move fast, as a cloudSCUD
132Road trip stopoversMOTELS

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Pampering place for a PersianCATSPA
2Not impressedUNAWED
3Watch via Hulu, saySTREAM
4Online forum qualifiers such as /j ("joking") or /s ("sarcastic")TONETAGS
5"I'll deal with this right now!"ONIT
6Keeps hydrated, as vegetables in the produce aisleMISTS
7Sitcom character from MelmacALF
8Aussie animalsROOS
9ItemCOUPLE
10Alfalfa shootSPROUT
11Stockholder's setbackLOSS
12Weisshorn or FinsteraarhornALP
13Not merely enough to go aroundPLENTYMORE
14Island containing Kiribati's capitalTARAWA
15"Don't pay any mind to this"ITSFORTHEBIRDS
16Zoom, e.g.MEET
17Feminine pronoun in FlorenceESSA
19"Would you look at that!"OHWOW
21Wedding reception hireeCATERER
26Partner of aahsOOHS
28"So-o-o gross!"UGH
32A-oneTOPFLIGHT
36With nary a chanceNOHOW
38Ingredient in some hair relaxersLYE
39Make a long story short, sayEDIT
40IndividuallyEACH
41Female rabbitDOE
42Elbow-benderSOT
44Popular singer of the Hawaiian folk song "Pearly Shells"DONHO
48"Sup!"HEY
49Sonicare competitorORALB
50Reschedule, so to speakTAKEARAINCHECK
51Things that drivers sometimes leave behind?TEES
53Letters on a lip balm tubeSPF
54Scare stiffSPOOK
56Some old Disney collectiblesCELS
59Arriving byINAT
61TablesPUTSASIDE
65Stiller's comedic partnerMEARA
66Incur a cellphone surcharge, perhapsROAM
68Electrical impulse transmittersAXONS
70Face offDUEL
73Catchall abbr.ETAL
74Priced to be, as bailSETAT
77Fortified wine from SpainMANZANILLA
79Home of NoHo and SoHoNYC
80"Catch ya in the morn!"NIGHT
82Main squeeze, in newer slangBAE
84Lascivious lookLEER
85Old-timey teacherMARM
89Sped or bled ... or ledRAN
90___ Lilly (Mounjaro maker)ELI
91Pointe shoe accessoriesTOEPADS
93Amy who wrote "Saving Fish From Drowning"TAN
95Balloon pilot, sayAERONAUT
99Worth a pick?RIPE
102Stick to simple and unprocessed foods, sayEATRAW
103State with only three counties: Abbr.DEL
104Illegal offeringsBRIBES
105High-level H.S. class with derivativesAPCALC
106Star football player?TEXAN
108Get even forAVENGE
109Kind of insurance for bridgesDENTAL
110Types inENTERS
114Surrey's Derby townEPSOM
116Singer/dancer/actress FalanaLOLA
117Say for sureAVOW
118Org. supporting sobriety checkpointsMADD
119Father of five sons in the BibleESAU
121___ bucoOSSO
123Adornment on a boathouse wallOAR
125Heel, e.g.END

Today's NYT Crossword answers

Today's full solution appears above, organised into Across and Down exactly as the puzzle numbers them. If you only need one answer, each is listed separately so you can reveal the clue that's blocking you and keep solving the rest. The grid is confirmed and refreshed daily as soon as the Times publishes it, and — because the puzzle's difficulty climbs through the week — we keep the layout identical every day so you always know where to look.

About the New York Times Crossword

The NYT Crossword has run since 1942 and has been edited by Will Shortz since 1993, making it the benchmark against which every other American crossword is measured. The weekday puzzle is a 15×15 grid; Sundays expand to a 21×21 grid with a title and theme. It's known for clever, layered clues — misdirection, puns, and themed twists — and for its “crosswordese,” the small stock of vowel-heavy words (ETUI, OREO, ERA, ALOE) that recur because they fit tight grids. Solving it requires a Games subscription, which is why so many solvers search for the answers when a clue defeats them.

The Monday-to-Saturday difficulty curve

The single most important thing to know about the Times crossword is that it gets harder as the week goes on — the grid size stays the same, but the cluing grows trickier:

DayDifficultyWhat to expect
MondayEasiestStraightforward, direct clues
TuesdayEasyA little more wordplay
WednesdayMediumThemes get more inventive
ThursdayTrickyRebus puzzles and gimmicks appear
FridayHardThemeless, wide-open grids
SaturdayHardestThe toughest cluing of the week
SundayMedium–hardLarge 21×21 themed puzzle

So if a Thursday clue seems to make no sense, that's by design — Thursdays often hide a trick, like multiple letters crammed into one square (a rebus). Knowing the day tells you how devious the clues are likely to be.

How to break a stubborn NYT clue

  • Solve the crossings first. In a 15×15 grid, every hard answer is crossed by others; three or four crossing letters usually reveal it.
  • Question the clue's angle. A question mark at the end of a clue signals a pun or play on words — read it less literally.
  • Mind the tense and number. Plurals end in S, past-tense answers often end in ED — free letters once you spot them.
  • Know the day. A baffling clue on a Monday is probably you overthinking; the same on a Saturday is probably genuine misdirection.
  • Use the solver for one answer. Our crossword solver lets you enter the clue and your known letters to reveal a single answer without spoiling the rest of the grid.

Browse past NYT Crossword answers

Every previous New York Times puzzle is archived on this page by date, with its complete across and down solutions. It's the fastest way to check yesterday's grid, revisit a Sunday you didn't finish, or look up a clue that's been nagging you. The archive updates automatically each day — today's answers roll into it as the next puzzle publishes — so it stays complete without spoiling the current day. Use the date picker above to jump to any past puzzle.

Browse more puzzles on the crossword solver, or use it to crack any clue from any publication.

Frequently asked questions

What are today's NYT Crossword answers?

The full Across and Down solution for today's puzzle (September 20, 2026) is listed at the top of this page, updated as soon as the Times releases it.

What time does the NYT Crossword come out?

The daily puzzle is released at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before on weekdays (7 p.m. Pacific) and 6 p.m. Eastern before weekends. We post the answers as soon as it goes live.

Why is the NYT Crossword harder later in the week?

By design: Monday is the easiest and Saturday the hardest, with cluing growing trickier each day. The Sunday puzzle is larger (21×21) and themed, at a medium-hard level.

How do I reveal just one answer?

Each answer is listed separately here, or use the crossword solver to reveal a single clue's answer from your known letters — without seeing the rest of the grid.

Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?

Every previous puzzle is in the archive on this page, listed by date with full solutions, updated automatically each day.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.