Private chats, briefly crossword clue
37 Across · WSJ Crossword, July 7, 2026 · 3 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Private chats, briefly” is DMS. It appears as 37 Across in the Wall Street Journal crossword of July 7, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle titled “Playing Around” by Brian Keller, and it fills 3 squares running left to right from row 8, column 7 of the 15×15 grid.
The shortening cue in the clue tells you to expect an abbreviation or initials rather than a full word. The entry begins with D and ends with S, and contains 0 vowels and 3 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Down entries should be enough to lock it in. Tuesday puzzles stay approachable with light wordplay, so expect the rest of this grid to be pitched at the same level.
Past appearances
DMS 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.