Daily Puzzle Solution
NYT Crossword
Thursday, August 20, 2026
The New York Times crossword puzzle for Thursday, August 20, 2026 features 78 clues. Today's puzzle has an average answer length of 4.8 letters. The longest answer is "FORWARDTHINKING".
Total Clues
78
Longest
FORWARDTHINKING
Avg Length
4.8
Shortest
PSA
Featured Clue
"Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues"
15 Letters
FORWARDTHINKING
ALLComplete Solution List
Sound like heaven
4HARP
Game of observation for travel
6SAFARI
Ad free
3PSA
Brief in pants
4TROU
Correct thoroughly
6SPOTON
Bad feel
3AIL
Try to place connoisseurs?
11TASTINGROOM
Cells in compound
3RNA
Checks with style
5PLAID
To cop
3OWN
Competition, for starters
5ATEAM
___ York
5NUEVA
Place recording
6STUDIO
Signals over game
5HORNS
Maturity approaching
5RIPER
Crows to relatives
6RAVENS
Free booze
3DRY
Confidentiality of letters?
4NDAS
"Done well"
5BRAVO
Short for "info flight"
3ETA
Sponge bath?
5LOOFA
Nothing doing
4IDLE
Say "minus C"
3MEH
Set off
6DEFRAY
Practice Japanese
5REIKI
Equal roughly
5ONPAR
Into light
6CUSSAT
Nags about noise?
5NEIGH
Land of Spot
5ISLET
On-off signs
3OKS
Lines some over draw
5TRACE
For repentance some feel
3RUE
Details insignificant contests
11SPLITSHAIRS
Spending limits it
3CAP
Forum discussion, popular once
6USENET
Cut short
4SNIP
___ Rock
3ALT
Out with ate, ate, ate
6PIGGED
Website gift custom
4ETSY
URL starter
4HTTP
Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment efforts
4ARAL
Civil rights icon Parks
4ROSA
Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues
12PUTINREVERSE
ID in some data breaches
3SSN
Elite H.S. class covering the Constitution
5APGOV
Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues
15FORWARDTHINKING
Loads
4ATON
Babe in the (Hundred Acre) Wood
3ROO
One advocated for by the National Prison Project
6INMATE
Whittled (down)
5PARED
Biblical mount
5SINAI
It's worth remembering!
5ALAMO
___ no idea!
6IDUNNO
Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues
12TURNOFPHRASE
Feature of San Francisco's Lombard Street
3ESS
Mole, e.g.
3SPY
Firm
4HARD
Like many cricket fields
4OVAL
Plan to contribute to, for short
3IRA
One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for short
3RBI
___ the Explorer
4DORA
Some distance away
4AFAR
Declare
3SAY
'Oh no, a mouse!'
3EEK
What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizes
6LENGTH
Univ. with an annual Mystery Hunt
3MIT
Eager response to "Wanna join?"
3DOI
Goes nuts for
6EATSUP
__ Around
5CIRCA
Garden-variety
5USUAL
Wasn't paying attention
5SLEPT
Lauder of cosmetics
5ESTEE
Designer Cassini
4OLEG
"I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan Jett
4AINT
N.F.L. commentator Collinsworth
4CRIS
Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.
4ESPY
Letter after chi
3PSI
The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr.
3STD