WSJ Crossword hints and answers for May 28, 2026
A hint and the answer for every clue, each behind its own button. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across37
Down39
TitleCapital Gains
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
Major muddle (5)
Starts with S, ends with USNAFU→
6A
Old jukebox insert (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDIME→
10A
GIF alternative (4)
Starts with J, ends with GJPEG→
14A
Get smart, in a way (5)
Starts with T, ends with PTOGUP→
15A
Name that starts Chronicles (4)
Starts with A, ends with MADAM→
16A
Maneuver cautiously (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEASE→
17A
What Pandora released (5)
Starts with E, ends with SEVILS→
18A
Wise mystic (4)
Starts with Y, ends with IYOGI→
19A
Makeup remover (4)
Starts with W, ends with EWIPE→
20A
Prominent Baltic lodging? (14)
Starts with T, ends with NTALLTALLINNINN→
23A
Bishop’s bailiwick (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESEE→
24A
He told Will Smith, “You’re almost pretty enough to play me” (3)
Starts with A, ends with IALI→
25A
Here comes the sun? (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEAST→
26A
Where a Balkan rooster might direct its gaze? (12)
Starts with A, ends with SATATHENSHENS→
31A
Explore the boardwalk (5)
Starts with A, ends with EAMBLE→
34A
Washington’s official marine mammal (4)
Starts with O, ends with AORCA→
35A
Hart’s sweetheart (3)
Starts with D, ends with EDOE→
36A
Texture (4)
Starts with F, ends with LFEEL→
37A
Do a season in a sitting, say (5)
Starts with B, ends with EBINGE→
39A
Sweet-talk (4)
Starts with C, ends with XCOAX→
40A
What friends might share as they get closer (3)
Starts with E, ends with AETA→
41A
Idyllist (4)
Starts with B, ends with DBARD→
42A
Drew in a book (5)
Starts with N, ends with YNANCY→
43A
Past Central European conflict? (12)
Starts with W, ends with WWARWARSAWSAW→
47A
Celebrity pug (4)
Starts with D, ends with GDOUG→
48A
Where you might take notes (3)
Starts with A, ends with MATM→
49A
Pitcher’s pride (3)
Starts with A, ends with MARM→
52A
Join a Central American navy? (14)
Starts with M, ends with AMANMANAGUAAGUA→
56A
Watch over (4)
Starts with M, ends with DMIND→
57A
Club component (4)
Starts with M, ends with OMAYO→
58A
Occult utterance (5)
Starts with S, ends with LSPELL→
59A
At some prior time (4)
Starts with O, ends with EONCE→
60A
First nudist colony? (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEDEN→
61A
Principle (5)
Starts with T, ends with TTENET→
62A
Ballpark buy (4)
Starts with B, ends with RBEER→
63A
Fresh offering (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSASS→
64A
Silent film figure? (5)
Starts with E, ends with AEXTRA→
Down
1D
Vetoes a removal (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSTETS→
2D
Brightening stars (5)
Starts with N, ends with ENOVAE→
3D
Able to think quickly (5)
Starts with A, ends with EAGILE→
4D
Gauge reading (4)
Starts with F, ends with LFULL→
5D
Buffalo’s place (7)
Starts with U, ends with EUPSTATE→
6D
Like half the planet right now (6)
Starts with D, ends with TDAYLIT→
7D
Fan fave (4)
Starts with I, ends with LIDOL→
8D
Three-men- and-a-baby group? (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMAGI→
9D
Cardinal title (8)
Starts with E, ends with EEMINENCE→
10D
Like the writers of “White Christmas” and “The Christmas Song” (6)
Starts with J, ends with HJEWISH→
11D
Like a clown’s smile (9)
Starts with P, ends with NPAINTEDON→
12D
“Around the Horn” channel (4)
Starts with E, ends with NESPN→
13D
“That hadn’t occurred to me!” (3)
Starts with G, ends with EGEE→
21D
Typical of (3)
Starts with A, ends with AALA→
22D
Its D.C. headquarters is named for engineer Mary W. Jackson (4)
Starts with N, ends with ANASA→
26D
Word with fours and yours (3)
Starts with A, ends with LALL→
27D
Odyssey maker (5)
Starts with H, ends with AHONDA→
28D
Tenth of a microjoule (3)
Starts with E, ends with GERG→
29D
Reason for some heated road trips (4)
Starts with N, ends with CNOAC→
30D
Steamy (4)
Starts with S, ends with YSEXY→
31D
Small set (4)
Starts with A, ends with WAFEW→
32D
Self-referential (4)
Starts with M, ends with AMETA→
33D
Spring ceremony in Ute communities (9)
Starts with B, ends with EBEARDANCE→
37D
Darts and trivia, e.g. (8)
Starts with B, ends with SBARGAMES→
38D
Fiscal org. (3)
Starts with I, ends with SIRS→
39D
Corvine squawk (3)
Starts with C, ends with WCAW→
41D
Original “Royal Historian of Oz” (4)
Starts with B, ends with MBAUM→
42D
Greeting accompanied by the anjali mudra hand gesture (7)
Starts with N, ends with ENAMASTE→
44D
Scratch one’s head (6)
Starts with W, ends with RWONDER→
45D
Haying needs (6)
Starts with W, ends with SWAGONS→
46D
“Rugrats” dad (3)
Starts with S, ends with USTU→
49D
Intel gatherer (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAGENT→
50D
Alignment aid (5)
Starts with R, ends with RRULER→
51D
Smallest nation in the European Union (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMALTA→
52D
Greedy cry (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMINE→
54D
“For” words (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAYES→
55D
Center of a bell curve, e.g. (4)
Starts with A, ends with XAPEX→
56D
RICO target (3)
Starts with M, ends with BMOB→
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 May 28, 2026?+
76 clues: 37 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Jake Halperin and edited by Mike Shenk.
What are some answers in today’s WSJ Crossword?+
For example: Major muddle (SNAFU); Old jukebox insert (DIME); GIF alternative (JPEG).
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.
