What is the answer to the NYT Crossword clue "Musical lead-in to beat" from October 21, 2026?

Crossword clue

“Musical lead-in to beat”

This clue appeared as 54-Down in the NYT Crossword on Wednesday, October 21, 2026. The answer has 4 letters.

Answer · 4 lettersSeen 2 times

AFRO

Letters4

Starts withA

Ends withO

Vowels2

Where this clue has appeared

NYT Crossword
Oct 21, 20264 letters→NYT Crossword
Sep 5, 20254 letters→

About this clue

The clue “Musical lead-in to beat” ran in the NYT Crossword on October 21, 2026 as 54-Down. Its answer is a 4-letter word that starts with A and ends with O.

See every answer from the puzzle on the NYT Crossword page for October 21, 2026, or learn how clues like this work in our guide to crossword clue types.

More clues from this puzzle

1ATeacher's pet, say, in slang6 letters 7ACumming who won a Tony for "Cabaret"4 letters 11AWhite lie3 letters 14ANot well known6 letters 15ADriving range?4 letters 16AN.H.L.'s Mammoth, on scoreboards3 letters 17ADriver's Ed: B11 letters 19AAlt tab?3 letters

FAQ

What is the answer to the “Musical lead-in to beat” clue?+

The answer is AFRO (4 letters), from the NYT Crossword of October 21, 2026.

Where has this clue appeared?+

We have seen it 2 times in the NYT Crossword, most recently on October 21, 2026.

How do I find other NYT Crossword answers?+

Open the full list of answers for October 21, 2026, or browse every date on the NYT Crossword hub.