By Eugene Sheffer

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Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Ways to the WWW — Answer: ISPS. Hint: These providers are your gateway to getting online. 🌐
  2. 5. Allows — Answer: LETS. Hint: Gives permission to proceed, like a green light in verb form 🚦
  3. 9. Mensa stats — Answer: IQS. Hint: These figures measure members’ brainpower. 🧠
  4. 12. From the top — Answer: ANEW. Hint: A fresh start or a new way to approach things can be quite refreshing! 🌱
  5. 13. Besides that — Answer: ELSE. Hint: Think of a word meaning “in addition” or “otherwise.” 💡
  6. 14. Twosome — Answer: DUO. Hint: Think of two people or things acting together as a pair 🎭
  7. 15. Big wind — Answer: GALE. Hint: Think of a powerful blast of air that can whip up the sea. 🌬️
  8. 16. Karaoke prop — Answer: MIKE. Hint: A singer may hold this to amplify their performance 🎤
  9. 17. Hearing thing — Answer: EAR. Hint: A body part that helps you listen to sounds. 👂
  10. 18. Leer at — Answer: OGLE. Hint: Give someone a lingering, flirtatious look. 👀
  11. 19. Toronto’s prov. — Answer: ONT. Hint: Think of the Canadian province where Toronto is located. 🍁
  12. 20. “Maureen” singer — Answer: SADE. Hint: Think of the smooth-voiced artist behind this soulful song. 🎤
  13. 21. Kayo count — Answer: TEN. Hint: A boxer might celebrate this many knockouts using both hands’ fingers. 🥊
  14. 23. -- Paulo — Answer: SAO. Hint: This Brazilian megacity’s name appears before Paulo, with an accent often omitted in English. 🏙️
  15. 25. Cooks’ garments — Answer: APRONS. Hint: These kitchen coverings help keep splashes and spills off your clothes. 👩‍🍳
  16. 28. All thumbs — Answer: KLUTZY. Hint: A playful way to describe someone who’s adorably awkward with their hands and feet 🤹
  17. 32. Enormous — Answer: GIANT. Hint: Think of something truly colossal in size. 🐘
  18. 33. Characteristic — Answer: TRAIT. Hint: It's something that makes you unique! 🌟
  19. 34. Run out — Answer: EXPIRE. Hint: What a library loan or a parking meter eventually does. ⏳
  20. 36. Rely (on) — Answer: DEPEND. Hint: Count on someone or something when you need support. 🤝
  21. 37. Sounds of woe — Answer: OYS. Hint: Think of short exclamations someone might utter when things go painfully wrong. 😩
  22. 38. “Entourage” character — Answer: ARI. Hint: This hard-driving Hollywood agent is known for his fierce loyalty and even fiercer temper 🎬
  23. 39. Legume — Answer: BEAN. Hint: This humble edible seed is a staple in chili, soups, and many hearty dishes. 🫘
  24. 42. Tuna container — Answer: CAN. Hint: It’s the small metal vessel you might open for a quick fishy lunch 🐟
  25. 44. Rocky outcrop — Answer: CRAG. Hint: Picture a steep, rugged mass of exposed stone rising from the landscape 🪨
  26. 48. Sit-up targets — Answer: ABS. Hint: These core muscles get a workout when you curl your torso upward. 💪
  27. 49. Sitarist Shankar — Answer: RAVI. Hint: Think of the musical genius behind the sounds of India! 🎶
  28. 50. Polynesian drink — Answer: KAVA. Hint: This traditional Pacific beverage is made from the ground root of a pepper-family plant. 🥤
  29. 51. “Humbug!” — Answer: BAH. Hint: A brief exclamation of dismissive disbelief or annoyance. 😏
  30. 52. Tarzan’s community — Answer: APES. Hint: Think of the jungle family that raised the famous vine-swinger 🐒
  31. 53. Ovid’s 53 — Answer: LIII. Hint: Think of how ancient Romans would write this number. 🏛️
  32. 54. Nay undoer — Answer: AYE. Hint: Think of the affirmative response that reverses a negative vote. ✅
  33. 55. Screen material — Answer: MESH. Hint: Think of the woven material that lets air through while keeping bugs out. 🪟
  34. 56. Flair — Answer: ELAN. Hint: A touch of stylish confidence can give someone this. ✨

Down

  1. 1. Shakespearean baddie — Answer: IAGO. Hint: This scheming villain pulls the strings in Othello. 🎭
  2. 2. Hose woe — Answer: SNAG. Hint: A small tear or catch can leave your garden hose in this troublesome state. 🪴
  3. 3. -- -mell (disorderly) — Answer: PELL. Hint: Complete the familiar phrase describing something done in a rushed, chaotic way. 🌀
  4. 4. Mild burger topper — Answer: SWEETONION. Hint: This mellow veggie adds a gentle sweetness to your burger. 🧅
  5. 5. Crummy cars — Answer: LEMONS. Hint: These vehicles are total duds that belong nowhere near a showroom 🚗
  6. 6. “28 Summers” author Hilderbrand — Answer: ELIN. Hint: Think of the novelist known for sun-soaked Nantucket stories and bestselling beach reads. 📚
  7. 7. “For shame, for shame!” — Answer: TSKTSK. Hint: A repeated little sound of disapproval when someone has crossed the line. 😒
  8. 8. Observe — Answer: SEE. Hint: Take a look or notice something happening 👀
  9. 9. Notion — Answer: IDEA. Hint: A thought or concept forming in your mind 💡
  10. 10. Campus area — Answer: QUAD. Hint: Think of the central courtyard where students gather between classes 🏫
  11. 11. Harboring a grudge — Answer: SORE. Hint: Still feeling resentful rather than ready to forgive? 😤
  12. 20. Deli sandwich go-with — Answer: SOURPICKLE. Hint: Look for the tangy, crunchy side that adds a zesty bite to your deli lunch 🥒
  13. 22. Doorway — Answer: ENTRY. Hint: A passage that lets you get inside 🚪
  14. 24. Modify — Answer: ALTER. Hint: Change something slightly to suit a new purpose or preference. 🔧
  15. 25. Mature — Answer: AGE. Hint: Think of what happens as someone grows older. 🕰️
  16. 26. Photos, slangily — Answer: PIX. Hint: Think of the casual, shortened term people use for pictures. 📸
  17. 27. Genre for LL Cool J — Answer: RAP. Hint: Think of the rhythmic genre LL Cool J helped make famous 🎤
  18. 29. Inventor’s monogram — Answer: TAE. Hint: Think of the three initials belonging to the famous inventor behind the light bulb. 💡
  19. 30. Calif. wine — Answer: ZIN. Hint: Think of the casual three-letter nickname for a bold California red wine 🍷
  20. 31. Since Jan. 1 — Answer: YTD. Hint: Think about how we track financial performance over a calendar year! 📊
  21. 35. Flee — Answer: ESCAPE. Hint: Get away quickly when danger is near 🏃
  22. 36. From Copenhagen, say — Answer: DANISH. Hint: Think of the nationality or style associated with Denmark’s capital city. 🇩🇰
  23. 39. Rum cake — Answer: BABA. Hint: Picture a small, syrup-soaked yeast cake with a decidedly boozy kick. 🍰
  24. 40. Online auction site — Answer: EBAY. Hint: A digital marketplace where bidders compete for collectibles, gadgets, and everyday finds. 🛒
  25. 41. Tennis champ Arthur — Answer: ASHE. Hint: This legendary American tennis player is honored by the U.S. Open’s main stadium 🎾
  26. 43. Rd. crossers — Answer: AVES. Hint: Think of the thoroughfares that commonly intersect roads, in abbreviated form. 🛣️
  27. 45. Banister — Answer: RAIL. Hint: Use this for support while walking up or down stairs 🪜
  28. 46. Athletic shoe brand — Answer: AVIA. Hint: Think of a sporty footwear label known for keeping runners moving. 👟
  29. 47. Profit — Answer: GAIN. Hint: What you earn after costs are covered is this little financial win. 💰
  30. 49. Zodiac animal — Answer: RAM. Hint: Think of the horned creature associated with the first sign of the zodiac ♈

Recent Eugene Sheffer Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Looking for today's Sheffer Crossword answers? Every across and down solution for today's puzzle — dated August 8, 2026 — is at the top of this page, updated the moment the new grid goes live. The Eugene Sheffer Crossword is King Features' 13×13 daily, roughly 65 clues, published Monday through Saturday in newspapers and free online, and it has carried Sheffer's byline since 1929. Cluing is plain-definition rather than tricky, so a stuck square is usually one older proper noun or a piece of crosswordese — and confirming it tends to open the crossings on either side. Every clue-by-clue answer is listed below.

Full Eugene Sheffer 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
1Ways to the WWWISPS
5AllowsLETS
9Mensa statsIQS
12From the topANEW
13Besides thatELSE
14TwosomeDUO
15Big windGALE
16Karaoke propMIKE
17Hearing thingEAR
18Leer atOGLE
19Toronto’s prov.ONT
20“Maureen” singerSADE
21Kayo countTEN
23-- PauloSAO
25Cooks’ garmentsAPRONS
28All thumbsKLUTZY
32EnormousGIANT
33CharacteristicTRAIT
34Run outEXPIRE
36Rely (on)DEPEND
37Sounds of woeOYS
38“Entourage” characterARI
39LegumeBEAN
42Tuna containerCAN
44Rocky outcropCRAG
48Sit-up targetsABS
49Sitarist ShankarRAVI
50Polynesian drinkKAVA
51“Humbug!”BAH
52Tarzan’s communityAPES
53Ovid’s 53LIII
54Nay undoerAYE
55Screen materialMESH
56FlairELAN

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Shakespearean baddieIAGO
2Hose woeSNAG
3-- -mell (disorderly)PELL
4Mild burger topperSWEETONION
5Crummy carsLEMONS
6“28 Summers” author HilderbrandELIN
7“For shame, for shame!”TSKTSK
8ObserveSEE
9NotionIDEA
10Campus areaQUAD
11Harboring a grudgeSORE
20Deli sandwich go-withSOURPICKLE
22DoorwayENTRY
24ModifyALTER
25MatureAGE
26Photos, slangilyPIX
27Genre for LL Cool JRAP
29Inventor’s monogramTAE
30Calif. wineZIN
31Since Jan. 1YTD
35FleeESCAPE
36From Copenhagen, sayDANISH
39Rum cakeBABA
40Online auction siteEBAY
41Tennis champ ArthurASHE
43Rd. crossersAVES
45BanisterRAIL
46Athletic shoe brandAVIA
47ProfitGAIN
49Zodiac animalRAM

Today's Sheffer Crossword answers

The current solution appears above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, in the order the grid numbers them. At 13×13 and roughly 65 clues there's not much to wade through, so each answer is listed separately with its clue: jump to the entry that stopped you rather than reading the whole key. A new puzzle publishes every day except Sunday, and this page updates as soon as King Features releases it.

What is the Eugene Sheffer Crossword?

The Eugene Sheffer Crossword — usually shortened to just the Sheffer Crossword — is King Features Syndicate's mid-size daily. It runs Monday through Saturday, with no Sunday edition, in more than a hundred American newspapers, and it's free to play online at games.washingtonpost.com and arkadium.com, with no subscription. The grid is a square 13×13 carrying about 65 clues, which puts it between the 11×13 Thomas Joseph puzzle and a full 15×15 daily. That compact footprint is exactly why editors have kept it for the better part of a century: a genuine crossword that still fits beside the comics. Puzzles are untitled and unthemed, so every clue stands alone.

Who was Eugene Sheffer?

Eugene Sheffer was a professor of Romance languages at Columbia University who ran the university's Maison Française for a quarter century and was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honour for his work on Franco-American cultural ties. Crosswords were the side project: he took over King Features' existing daily puzzle on 24 June 1929, and it was eventually renamed for him. There's a good footnote to it — while Jack Kerouac was a student at Columbia he worked as Sheffer's private secretary, and among other duties helped define words for the daily crossword. Sheffer died in 1981; King Features still runs the puzzle under his byline as a tribute, with present-day constructors keeping to the style he set.

How the Sheffer Crossword compares

King Features syndicates three crosswords, and Sheffer sits in the middle of them:

Eugene ShefferThomas JosephPremier
Grid size13×1311×1321×21
Clues~65~50~140
How oftenMon–SatMon–SatSundays only
ThemeNoneNoneTitled pun theme
Typical solve10–15 minutesUnder 10 minutesAn hour or more

If today's grid went quickly, the Premier Crossword is the Sunday-size step up from the same syndicate; the Thomas Joseph Crossword is the shorter one.

Tips for solving the Sheffer Crossword

  • Clear the three-letter fill first. A 13×13 is dense with short entries. They cost seconds and they hand you a starting letter on every crossing answer.
  • Learn the recurring crosswordese. Sheffer reuses the same short, vowel-heavy words week after week, so an answer that feels obscure the first time becomes a freebie the next.
  • Watch for abbreviations. A clue that's itself abbreviated, or ends in “briefly” or “for short”, is telling you the answer is too.
  • Every day is the same difficulty. There's no Monday-to-Saturday ramp, so if a grid feels hard it's the particular references, not the weekday.
  • Use the solver for one entry. Our crossword solver reveals a single clue's answer from the letters you already have, without spoiling the rest of the grid.

Browse past Sheffer Crossword answers

Every day we've covered is archived on this page by date, with full across and down solutions — useful for a puzzle you set aside or a back issue you picked up late. There's no Sunday edition, so the archive steps from Saturday straight to Monday, and it updates automatically as each new grid is syndicated. Stuck on a single clue, our crossword solver will reveal just that answer.

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

Frequently asked questions

What are today's Sheffer Crossword answers?

The full Across and Down solution for today's puzzle (August 8, 2026) is listed at the top of this page, updated as soon as King Features releases the new grid.

When does a new Sheffer Crossword come out?

A new grid publishes every day except Sunday — Monday through Saturday, at the midnight Eastern date flip. Our answers go up as soon as the puzzle is out.

Who was Eugene Sheffer?

A Columbia University professor of Romance languages who took over King Features' daily crossword on 24 June 1929, after which it was renamed for him. He died in 1981, but King Features still runs the puzzle under his byline as a tribute, with present-day constructors keeping to the style he set.

How big is the Sheffer Crossword?

It's a 13×13 grid with roughly 65 clues — a step up from the 11×13 Thomas Joseph puzzle and a step down from a standard 15×15 daily. That compact size is what made it a newspaper favourite: a real crossword that still fits beside the comics.

Is the Sheffer Crossword hard?

It's a moderate daily with no difficulty ramp — Monday and Saturday are pitched the same. Cluing is mostly straight definition with some crosswordese and abbreviations, so the sticking point is usually one dated proper noun rather than tricky wordplay.

Is the Sheffer Crossword free to play?

Yes — it's free with no subscription at games.washingtonpost.com and arkadium.com, and it runs in newspapers that carry King Features. Our answers and clues are free too.

Where can I find past Sheffer Crossword answers?

Every day we've covered is in the archive on this page, listed by date with the full solution, and it updates automatically each morning.