Daily Puzzle Solution
NYT Crossword
Wednesday, January 21, 2026
The New York Times crossword puzzle for Wednesday, January 21, 2026 features 77 clues. Today's puzzle has an average answer length of 5.2 letters. The longest answer is "PACIFICOCEAN".
Total Clues
77
Longest
PACIFICOCEAN
Avg Length
5.2
Shortest
DYE
Featured Clue
"<i>Life across the ___ is much the same</i>"
12 Letters
PACIFICOCEAN
ALLComplete Solution List
Practiced pitches
6SPIELS
What arms might do on a final gym rep
7TREMBLE
<i>Lee has a hot bowl of ___ to start off his day</i>
6CONGEE
<i>Lee has a hot bowl of ___ to start off his day</i>
7OATMEAL
Enemy of the Avengers
6ULTRON
Ones with the munchies, maybe
8POTHEADS
In need of a massage, say
4SORE
Like those local to Universal Studios Japan
6OSAKAN
Hide one's roots, perhaps
3DYE
Like the study of the kabbalah
8ESOTERIC
Drill insert
3BIT
Polarizing punctuation choice
11SERIALCOMMA
Bracket-busting wins in March Madness
6UPSETS
... friend or ___?
3FOE
Complete disrepair
4RUIN
<i>Says ___ to his neighbor, then heads on his way</i>
5NIHAO
Recycling container
3BIN
<i>Says ___ to his neighbor, then heads on his way</i>
5HELLO
They might be foiled
5PLOTS
Treatment for a sprained ankle
3ICE
Like the villain at the end of a "Scooby-Doo" episode
5OUTED
ALL ___
4EARS
Slime
3GOO
Jay-Z's and Alicia Keys's "___ State of Mind"
6EMPIRE
Classic P.O.W. movie starring Steve McQueen, with "The"
11GREATESCAPE
Heavy weight
3TON
Transaction on an online marketplace
8EBAYSALE
Govt. org. in "Alias"
3CIA
Entertainer who says "If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?"
6RUPAUL
Inflation measures, for short
4PSIS
Opportunity to dress up
8OCCASION
Eagles' nests
6AERIES
<i>With gossip and beer over Friday's ___ game</i>
7MAHJONG
<i>With gossip and beer over Friday's ___ game</i>
6BRIDGE
Satisfies
7PLEASES
Luxurious cotton fabric
6SATEEN
Italian apology
5SCUSE
Some pullover shirts
5POLOS
Any course whose name ends in "101"
5INTRO
Bird with a plume that, ounce for ounce, was once worth more than gold
5EGRET
Constellation near the Big Dipper
3LEO
Gentlemen, in Granada
7SENORES
Captured
4TOOK
Like government bonds and Uber drivers
7RATABLE
Minority
6ETHNIC
Mrs. en français
3MME
Bit of sweat
4BEAD
British title
4LADY
Ultimatum ender
4ELSE
<i>Life across the ___ is much the same</i>
12PACIFICOCEAN
British title
3SIR
These (Sp.)
5ESTOS
Shredded, as a contract
6TOREUP
Top of the line
4AONE
Prefix with vitamin or tool
5MULTI
Athlete aiming for a four-minute finish, perhaps
5MILER
One end of an electrolytic cell
5ANODE
Let float, as a currency
5UNPEG
Pertaining to hair
5PILAR
Welcome sight for a sailor
5SHORE
Patronizes, as a restaurant
6EATSAT
Life stories
4BIOS
Warm and cozy
5HOMEY
Bona fide
7GENUINE
Govt. sites for testing pollutants
7EPALABS
Ones with chiseled abs?
6TORSOS
__ Dhabi
3ABU
Spar on a sailing boat
5SPRIT
Comment that breaks the fourth wall
5ASIDE
Feudal lord
5LIEGE
German steel city
5ESSEN
Provide for free, as a drink
4COMP
Suffix with method or metaphor
4ICAL
Pine
4ACHE
Collectible caps in the '90s
4POGS
Steely Dan album whose name is pronounced "Asia"
3AJA
The Three Kingdoms in Chinese history, e.g.
3ERA