WSJ Crossword hints and answers for July 28, 2026
A hint and the answer for every clue, each behind its own button. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues77
Across39
Down38
TitleBird Is the Word
Today’s WSJ Crossword clues, hints & answers
Every clue from this puzzle with a hint and the answer behind separate buttons, so you only see what you need. Click a clue for its own page.
Across
1A
Like a phone at 0% (4)
Starts with D, ends with DDEAD→
5A
Fortunate (5)
Starts with L, ends with YLUCKY→
10A
How children might describe dad jokes (4)
Starts with L, ends with ELAME→
14A
Cockney greeting (4)
Starts with E, ends with OELLO→
15A
Ladybug prey (5)
Starts with A, ends with DAPHID→
16A
From the thrift shop, say (4)
Starts with U, ends with DUSED→
17A
Good competitor? (4)
Starts with E, ends with LEVIL→
18A
Mortarboard flingers (5)
Starts with G, ends with SGRADS→
19A
Really small (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMINI→
20A
Summer genre (5)
Starts with D, ends with ODISCO→
22A
Like 1999 but not 2000 (3)
Starts with O, ends with DODD→
23A
Teasing tribute (5)
Starts with R, ends with TROAST→
24A
Audiophile’s investment (6)
Starts with S, ends with OSTEREO→
26A
“Lemme! Lemme!” (6)
Starts with I, ends with AIWANNA→
28A
FBI staffer (3)
Starts with A, ends with TAGT→
29A
Speech stumbles (3)
Starts with E, ends with SERS→
30A
Places that draw crowds (6)
Starts with M, ends with SMECCAS→
33A
African expanse (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASAHARA→
37A
Glover of “Atlanta” (6)
Starts with D, ends with DDONALD→
38A
Word on old maps of China (6)
Starts with P, ends with GPEKING→
40A
Confuse (5)
Starts with A, ends with EADDLE→
41A
Do the wrong thing (3)
Starts with E, ends with RERR→
44A
Hardly form-fitting (5)
Starts with S, ends with YSAGGY→
45A
Early auto make (3)
Starts with R, ends with OREO→
46A
Noteworthy (7)
Starts with S, ends with TSALIENT→
49A
“I’m With ___” (2016 campaign slogan) (3)
Starts with H, ends with RHER→
50A
Warning letters on some racy forwards (4)
Starts with N, ends with WNSFW→
52A
Goalie’s goals (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSAVES→
53A
Houston player, informally (4)
Starts with S, ends with OSTRO→
54A
Metaphorical component of being organized, and what’s found three times in this grid (11)
Starts with D, ends with WDUCKSINAROW→
57A
Millipede maker (5)
Starts with A, ends with IATARI→
59A
New Year in Hanoi (3)
Starts with T, ends with TTET→
60A
Antipasto bit (5)
Starts with O, ends with EOLIVE→
63A
Lovers’ rendezvous (5)
Starts with T, ends with TTRYST→
65A
Actor’s delivery (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLINES→
66A
Difficult to make out (5)
Starts with M, ends with YMISTY→
67A
Vacation rental (3)
Starts with C, ends with RCAR→
68A
Beats by a whisker (5)
Starts with E, ends with SEDGES→
Down
1D
Electric Company card, e.g. (4)
Starts with D, ends with DDEED→
2D
Much-impersonated entertainer (5)
Starts with E, ends with SELVIS→
3D
Met Gala guests, e.g. (5)
Starts with A, ends with TALIST→
4D
Gabbana’s partner in fashion (5)
Starts with D, ends with EDOLCE→
5D
Annoyance in some gaming (3)
Starts with L, ends with GLAG→
6D
Displaces (7)
Starts with U, ends with SUPROOTS→
7D
Landlocked African country (4)
Starts with C, ends with DCHAD→
8D
Little ones (7)
Starts with K, ends with SKIDDIES→
9D
LPGA measures (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYDS→
10D
Company in “Severance” (5)
Starts with L, ends with NLUMON→
11D
Indian or Indonesian (5)
Starts with A, ends with NASIAN→
12D
High-IQ crew (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMENSA→
13D
Polish prose (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEDIT→
21D
Infallible authorities (7)
Starts with O, ends with SORACLES→
23D
Most impulsive (7)
Starts with R, ends with TRASHEST→
25D
“Zounds!” (4)
Starts with E, ends with DEGAD→
27D
Finish filming (4)
Starts with W, ends with PWRAP→
30D
Techniques (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMODES→
31D
1999 film with Gabriel Byrne as Satan (9)
Starts with E, ends with SENDOFDAYS→
32D
Ripken of baseball fame (3)
Starts with C, ends with LCAL→
34D
Alias letters (3)
Starts with A, ends with AAKA→
35D
Gordie Howe’s position (9)
Starts with R, ends with GRIGHTWING→
37D
“Bummer!” (4)
Starts with D, ends with NDARN→
39D
Sandwich topped with tzatziki (4)
Starts with G, ends with OGYRO→
41D
Adaptable (7)
Starts with E, ends with CELASTIC→
42D
Cannes setting (7)
Starts with R, ends with ARIVIERA→
43D
Come back from space, say (7)
Starts with R, ends with RREENTER→
47D
Stop wondering, maybe (3)
Starts with A, ends with KASK→
48D
Org. with a cryptologic museum (3)
Starts with N, ends with ANSA→
51D
Oktoberfest fare (5)
Starts with W, ends with TWURST→
53D
Well-built (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSOLID→
55D
Washington or Lincoln (4)
Starts with C, ends with YCITY→
56D
Part of a picture? (4)
Starts with R, ends with EROLE→
57D
Source of bills (3)
Starts with A, ends with MATM→
58D
Ironman contest, familiarly (3)
Starts with T, ends with ITRI→
61D
Migratory formation (3)
Starts with V, ends with EVEE→
62D
Mountain road shape (3)
Starts with E, ends with SESS→
How to solve the WSJ Crossword
Fill the grid so every Across and Down answer matches its clue. The title hints at the theme, and on Fridays a final instruction asks for the meta answer. Our answer pages list every clue with its answer behind a reveal button.
Want the full method? Read our WSJ Crossword strategy and tips, or check how to play the WSJ Crossword on the hub.
WSJ Crossword tips for tomorrow
- Read the title first. WSJ titles are precise. They usually describe exactly how the theme entries are transformed.
- Solve Friday twice. Fill the grid, then look for a pattern in the theme entries that spells or points to the meta answer.
- Learn the editor's style. Mike Shenk favours tight wordplay. A clue that seems too literal probably has a second reading.
Done for today? Try NYT Crossword, LA Times Crossword, Newsday Crossword, all with hints first and answers behind a reveal.
Previous WSJ Crossword puzzles
WSJ Crossword FAQ
How many clues are in the WSJ Crossword for July 28, 2026?+
77 clues: 39 Across and 38 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Jay Silverman and edited by Mike Shenk.
What are some answers in today’s WSJ Crossword?+
For example: Like a phone at 0% (DEAD); Fortunate (LUCKY); How children might describe dad jokes (LAME).
Who edits the WSJ Crossword?+
Mike Shenk has edited the Wall Street Journal Crossword since its launch.
Where can I find past WSJ Crossword answers?+
Every puzzle in our archive has its own page with all answers and a page per clue.
