WSJ Crossword Answers - Aug 26

Whew!

By Alan Olschwang · Edited by Mike Shenk

P
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Across

  1. 1Fires (up)PSYCHS
  2. 7Leaves aside?PILE
  3. 11HackHEW
  4. 14Open on Christmas, sayUNWRAP
  5. 15Speckled steedROAN
  6. 16Sumac from PeruYMA
  7. 17Went helter-skelterRACEDAROUND
  8. 19CentralMID
  9. 20Old-timey oathEGAD
  10. 21Last Hebrew letterTAV
  11. 22They’re larger than lifeGIANTS
  12. 24Young haresLEVERETS
  13. 26Name in stringsAMATI
  14. 30Music producer GottiIRV
  15. 31Police jacket lettersSWAT
  16. 35Island of MalaysiaPENANG
  17. 37Curvy doorway topperBELLARCH
  18. 40“What a day!”AMIBEAT
  19. 42Prepare for a comeback tour, perhapsREUNITE
  20. 43Mars, Jupiter or NeptuneROMANGOD
  21. 45Amused soundTITTER
  22. 46Old imperial titleTSAR
  23. 47Negroni spiritGIN
  24. 49You might get down from themGEESE
  25. 50Historical play by Christopher MarloweEDWARDII
  26. 54“The quality of mercy is not strained” speakerPORTIA
  27. 57Stirrup siteEAR
  28. 58SortTYPE
  29. 62Academic domainEDU
  30. 63“I hope so,” and an alternative title for this puzzleKNOCKONWOOD
  31. 66Waits on stageTOM
  32. 67Ready for publicationEDIT
  33. 68Not optionalNEEDED
  34. 69“Torso Fruit” sculptorARP
  35. 70“Do the Right Thing” pizzeriaSALS
  36. 71EroticSTEAMY

Down

  1. 1Free of additivesPURE
  2. 2Planning problemSNAG
  3. 3Org. with a “Week Without Violence” programYWCA
  4. 4Street repCRED
  5. 5OwnedHAD
  6. 6Sudden outpouringSPATE
  7. 7Words of wisdomPROVERB
  8. 8Note from a short person?IOU
  9. 9Oscar winner for “Tootsie” and “Blue Sky”LANGE
  10. 10Break upENDIT
  11. 11Music for the masses?HYMN
  12. 12Give offEMIT
  13. 13Bundles of billsWADS
  14. 18Sitar master ShankarRAVI
  15. 23Armand of “American Gangster”ASSANTE
  16. 24Irish exportLINEN
  17. 25Airstream ownerRVER
  18. 26DistantAPART
  19. 27Staff notesMEMOS
  20. 28Inner self, to a JungianANIMA
  21. 29Upholstery fabricTABARET
  22. 32Form letters?WRITE
  23. 33Divisions d’un opéraACTES
  24. 34“Done!”THERE
  25. 36Funny bitGAG
  26. 38Court callLET
  27. 39Mario’s brotherLUIGI
  28. 41Cato’s costumeTOGA
  29. 44Calls the shotsDIRECTS
  30. 48Sask. neighborNDAK
  31. 51Sea stoppersDIKES
  32. 52Film fishWANDA
  33. 53Clubs at clubsIRONS
  34. 54Fur-fighting org.PETA
  35. 55Gas leak evidenceODOR
  36. 56BehindRUMP
  37. 58Affectedly preciousTWEE
  38. 59“Impossible to see, the future is” speakerYODA
  39. 60Stressful work?POEM
  40. 61Whirling waterEDDY
  41. 64It can be refinedOIL
  42. 65Bottom lineNET

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Fires (up) — Answer: PSYCHS. Hint: In slang, this means gets someone mentally energized or excited. 🔥
  2. 7. Leaves aside? — Answer: PILE. Hint: Set autumn foliage together and you create one of these. 🍂
  3. 11. Hack — Answer: HEW. Hint: As a verb, this means to chop or cut roughly. 🪓
  4. 14. Open on Christmas, say — Answer: UNWRAP. Hint: Do this to a gift before discovering what is inside. 🎁
  5. 15. Speckled steed — Answer: ROAN. Hint: This describes a horse with a mixed or dappled coat. 🐴
  6. 16. Sumac from Peru — Answer: YMA. Hint: Recall the first name of the renowned Peruvian singer Sumac. 🎤
  7. 17. Went helter-skelter — Answer: RACEDAROUND. Hint: This describes moving frantically from place to place. 🏃
  8. 19. Central — Answer: MID. Hint: Look for a concise term meaning located in the middle. 🎯
  9. 20. Old-timey oath — Answer: EGAD. Hint: A quaint exclamation of surprise or emphasis from another era! 🕰️
  10. 21. Last Hebrew letter — Answer: TAV. Hint: This is the final character in the Hebrew alphabet. 🔤
  11. 22. They’re larger than life — Answer: GIANTS. Hint: Think of enormous beings from folklore, fairy tales, or sports! 🏀
  12. 24. Young hares — Answer: LEVERETS. Hint: These are baby members of the hare family. 🐇
  13. 26. Name in strings — Answer: AMATI. Hint: This famous Italian family name is associated with finely crafted violins. 🎻
  14. 30. Music producer Gotti — Answer: IRV. Hint: Think of the hip-hop executive behind Murder Inc. Records. 🎧
  15. 31. Police jacket letters — Answer: SWAT. Hint: These initials identify a heavily armed police response team. 🚓
  16. 35. Island of Malaysia — Answer: PENANG. Hint: This Malaysian island is known for George Town and its street food. 🌴
  17. 37. Curvy doorway topper — Answer: BELLARCH. Hint: A rounded architectural feature can crown an entrance. 🏛️
  18. 40. “What a day!” — Answer: AMIBEAT. Hint: A weary person might say this after an exhausting day. 😮‍💨
  19. 42. Prepare for a comeback tour, perhaps — Answer: REUNITE. Hint: Bring the band together again for another run of shows. 🎤
  20. 43. Mars, Jupiter or Neptune — Answer: ROMANGOD. Hint: Each of these planets takes its name from a deity in ancient mythology. 🪐
  21. 45. Amused sound — Answer: TITTER. Hint: A small, restrained laugh is often described this way. 😊
  22. 46. Old imperial title — Answer: TSAR. Hint: This historical ruler’s title was used by emperors of Russia and Bulgaria. 👑
  23. 47. Negroni spirit — Answer: GIN. Hint: This classic cocktail gets its botanical kick from a clear juniper-based spirit. 🍸
  24. 49. You might get down from them — Answer: GEESE. Hint: These honking birds can provide the soft insulation found in pillows and jackets. 🪶
  25. 50. Historical play by Christopher Marlowe — Answer: EDWARDII. Hint: Marlowe dramatized the troubled reign of this English monarch. 🎭
  26. 54. “The quality of mercy is not strained” speaker — Answer: PORTIA. Hint: In Shakespeare’s courtroom plea, the eloquent speaker urges compassion over strict justice. ⚖️
  27. 57. Stirrup site — Answer: EAR. Hint: This body part houses the tiny bone nicknamed the stirrup. 👂
  28. 58. Sort — Answer: TYPE. Hint: As a verb, it means to classify or categorize. 🗂️
  29. 62. Academic domain — Answer: EDU. Hint: A broad area of study at a college or university 📚
  30. 63. “I hope so,” and an alternative title for this puzzle — Answer: KNOCKONWOOD. Hint: This hopeful phrase is traditionally spoken after mentioning good fortune, to keep it going 🍀
  31. 66. Waits on stage — Answer: TOM. Hint: A male feline might be lingering under the spotlight 🎭
  32. 67. Ready for publication — Answer: EDIT. Hint: A polished manuscript can go straight to the printer 🖨️
  33. 68. Not optional — Answer: NEEDED. Hint: This is required rather than merely desirable ✅
  34. 69. “Torso Fruit” sculptor — Answer: ARP. Hint: This artist created a playful fruit-themed torso and worked with the Surrealists 🗿
  35. 70. “Do the Right Thing” pizzeria — Answer: SALS. Hint: Look for the neighborhood pizza shop owned by the film’s central Italian-American family 🍕
  36. 71. Erotic — Answer: STEAMY. Hint: Suggestive rather than innocent, this word can also describe a sultry scene 🔥

Down

  1. 1. Free of additives — Answer: PURE. Hint: Nothing extra has been mixed in, especially in food or drink 🧃
  2. 2. Planning problem — Answer: SNAG. Hint: A small obstacle can derail an otherwise careful schedule 🗓️
  3. 3. Org. with a “Week Without Violence” program — Answer: YWCA. Hint: This community organization shares initials with a well-known young women’s association 🏢
  4. 4. Street rep — Answer: CRED. Hint: Informal respect earned in the neighborhood matters here 🏙️
  5. 5. Owned — Answer: HAD. Hint: Think of a simple past-tense verb meaning possessed. 🧩
  6. 6. Sudden outpouring — Answer: SPATE. Hint: Think of a sudden flood of words, rain, or activity 🌊
  7. 7. Words of wisdom — Answer: PROVERB. Hint: A concise traditional saying often carries one of these lessons 📖
  8. 8. Note from a short person? — Answer: IOU. Hint: A tiny writer might leave this promise to repay a favor 📝
  9. 9. Oscar winner for “Tootsie” and “Blue Sky” — Answer: LANGE. Hint: This actress won for both a comedy about an actor in disguise and a later drama 🎬
  10. 10. Break up — Answer: ENDIT. Hint: As a relationship command, this means bring it to a close 💔
  11. 11. Music for the masses? — Answer: HYMN. Hint: A congregational song is meant for worshippers to sing together ⛪
  12. 12. Give off — Answer: EMIT. Hint: Think of what a light bulb does when it's turned on! 💡
  13. 13. Bundles of bills — Answer: WADS. Hint: Informal term for thick rolls or stacks of cash 💵
  14. 18. Sitar master Shankar — Answer: RAVI. Hint: This virtuoso collaborated with George Harrison and popularized Indian classical music 🎶
  15. 23. Armand of “American Gangster” — Answer: ASSANTE. Hint: This actor portrayed a mobster in the crime drama 🎬
  16. 24. Irish export — Answer: LINEN. Hint: This breathable fabric has long been associated with Ireland 🍀
  17. 25. Airstream owner — Answer: RVER. Hint: This traveler takes a shiny trailer on the road 🚐
  18. 26. Distant — Answer: APART. Hint: Something far away is this 🌌
  19. 27. Staff notes — Answer: MEMOS. Hint: These brief workplace messages keep employees informed 📝
  20. 28. Inner self, to a Jungian — Answer: ANIMA. Hint: Jung used this term for a man's inner feminine archetype 🧠
  21. 29. Upholstery fabric — Answer: TABARET. Hint: This decorative textile can cover furniture 🛋️
  22. 32. Form letters? — Answer: WRITE. Hint: To create correspondence is to do this ✍️
  23. 33. Divisions d’un opéra — Answer: ACTES. Hint: In French, these are the sections of a stage work 🎭
  24. 34. “Done!” — Answer: THERE. Hint: This word can finish the phrase “___ you go” ✅
  25. 36. Funny bit — Answer: GAG. Hint: A comedian may use this quick joke 😂
  26. 38. Court call — Answer: LET. Hint: In tennis, this call means a serve touched the net 🎾
  27. 39. Mario’s brother — Answer: LUIGI. Hint: This green-clad Nintendo hero often joins the mustached plumber 🎮
  28. 41. Cato’s costume — Answer: TOGA. Hint: A Roman senator might wear this draped garment 🏛️
  29. 44. Calls the shots — Answer: DIRECTS. Hint: A person in charge of a production does this 🎬
  30. 48. Sask. neighbor — Answer: NDAK. Hint: This abbreviated American state borders Saskatchewan to the south 🗺️
  31. 51. Sea stoppers — Answer: DIKES. Hint: These barriers hold back water and protect low-lying land 🌊
  32. 52. Film fish — Answer: WANDA. Hint: She gives her name to a famously punny fish film 🎥
  33. 53. Clubs at clubs — Answer: IRONS. Hint: Golfers may swing these on a country-club course ⛳
  34. 54. Fur-fighting org. — Answer: PETA. Hint: This animal-rights group campaigns against the use of fur 🐾
  35. 55. Gas leak evidence — Answer: ODOR. Hint: Your nose may detect this telltale sign of escaping fuel 👃
  36. 56. Behind — Answer: RUMP. Hint: Think of the rear or backside of something 🍑
  37. 58. Affectedly precious — Answer: TWEE. Hint: This describes something overly cute or dainty in a forced way 🎀
  38. 59. “Impossible to see, the future is” speaker — Answer: YODA. Hint: Think of the Jedi master known for scrambled syntax ✨
  39. 60. Stressful work? — Answer: POEM. Hint: This literary creation may involve meter, rhyme, and plenty of revision ✍️
  40. 61. Whirling water — Answer: EDDY. Hint: Picture a small circular current spinning in a stream 🌊
  41. 64. It can be refined — Answer: OIL. Hint: This fossil fuel becomes more useful after processing ⛽
  42. 65. Bottom line — Answer: NET. Hint: It is what remains after costs are subtracted 💰

Recent WSJ Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

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Here are the WSJ Crossword answers for Wednesday, August 26, 2026 — every solution for that day's Wall Street Journal 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 August 26?” 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 WSJ Crossword answers page.

WSJ Crossword answers for August 26, 2026

The full solution for the August 26 WSJ 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 Wednesday, August 26.

Full WSJ Crossword answer list for August 26, 2026

Every clue from the August 26 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Fires (up)PSYCHS
7Leaves aside?PILE
11HackHEW
14Open on Christmas, sayUNWRAP
15Speckled steedROAN
16Sumac from PeruYMA
17Went helter-skelterRACEDAROUND
19CentralMID
20Old-timey oathEGAD
21Last Hebrew letterTAV
22They’re larger than lifeGIANTS
24Young haresLEVERETS
26Name in stringsAMATI
30Music producer GottiIRV
31Police jacket lettersSWAT
35Island of MalaysiaPENANG
37Curvy doorway topperBELLARCH
40“What a day!”AMIBEAT
42Prepare for a comeback tour, perhapsREUNITE
43Mars, Jupiter or NeptuneROMANGOD
45Amused soundTITTER
46Old imperial titleTSAR
47Negroni spiritGIN
49You might get down from themGEESE
50Historical play by Christopher MarloweEDWARDII
54“The quality of mercy is not strained” speakerPORTIA
57Stirrup siteEAR
58SortTYPE
62Academic domainEDU
63“I hope so,” and an alternative title for this puzzleKNOCKONWOOD
66Waits on stageTOM
67Ready for publicationEDIT
68Not optionalNEEDED
69“Torso Fruit” sculptorARP
70“Do the Right Thing” pizzeriaSALS
71EroticSTEAMY

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Free of additivesPURE
2Planning problemSNAG
3Org. with a “Week Without Violence” programYWCA
4Street repCRED
5OwnedHAD
6Sudden outpouringSPATE
7Words of wisdomPROVERB
8Note from a short person?IOU
9Oscar winner for “Tootsie” and “Blue Sky”LANGE
10Break upENDIT
11Music for the masses?HYMN
12Give offEMIT
13Bundles of billsWADS
18Sitar master ShankarRAVI
23Armand of “American Gangster”ASSANTE
24Irish exportLINEN
25Airstream ownerRVER
26DistantAPART
27Staff notesMEMOS
28Inner self, to a JungianANIMA
29Upholstery fabricTABARET
32Form letters?WRITE
33Divisions d’un opéraACTES
34“Done!”THERE
36Funny bitGAG
38Court callLET
39Mario’s brotherLUIGI
41Cato’s costumeTOGA
44Calls the shotsDIRECTS
48Sask. neighborNDAK
51Sea stoppersDIKES
52Film fishWANDA
53Clubs at clubsIRONS
54Fur-fighting org.PETA
55Gas leak evidenceODOR
56BehindRUMP
58Affectedly preciousTWEE
59“Impossible to see, the future is” speakerYODA
60Stressful work?POEM
61Whirling waterEDDY
64It can be refinedOIL
65Bottom lineNET

Hints for the August 26 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The August 26 Wall Street Journal Crossword was a Wednesday puzzle, which matters more than it does at most papers: the WSJ runs a clean 15×15 midweek, a larger themed grid at the end of the week, and a Friday contest puzzle whose real answer hides inside the finished grid. Editor Mike Shenk keeps the cluing fair rather than punishing, so a stuck corner usually breaks open on one confirmed crossing. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

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Frequently asked questions

What were the WSJ Crossword answers on August 26, 2026?

Every answer for the Wednesday, August 26, 2026 Wall Street Journal Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

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