Agitates crossword clue
48 Down · WSJ Crossword, July 23, 2026 · 5 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Agitates” is RILES. It appears as 48 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 23, 2026, a Thursday puzzle titled “Passions Run Deep” by Matt Gaffney, and it fills 5 squares running top to bottom from row 11, column 2 of the 15×15 grid.
A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S. The entry begins with R and ends with S, and contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Thursday puzzles lean harder on misdirection, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
RILES has not appeared as an answer in any other WSJ puzzle in our index, which runs from May 2026 onward. It will be listed here the next time it turns up.