Mature leader? crossword clue
30 Down · WSJ Crossword, July 1, 2026 · 3 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Mature leader?” is PRE. It appears as 30 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 1, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle titled “Perfunctory Performance” by Lynn Lempel, and it fills 3 squares running top to bottom from row 6, column 11 of the 15×15 grid.
The question mark at the end of the clue signals wordplay: the surface reading is a misdirection, and the answer fits a punning or figurative sense of the words. The entry begins with P and ends with E, and contains 1 vowel and 2 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across entries should be enough to lock it in. Wednesday puzzles sit mid-week on the difficulty curve, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
Clues in other WSJ puzzles with the answer PRE:
- Before, in combinationsMay 15, 2026