Second-stringers crossword clue
40 Down · WSJ Crossword, October 21, 2026 · 4 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Second-stringers” is SUBS. It appears as 40 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of October 21, 2026, a Wednesday puzzle titled “Rock Climbing” by Mike Graczyk, and it fills 4 squares running top to bottom from row 8, column 10 of the 15×15 grid.
A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S. The entry begins with S and ends with S, and contains 1 vowel 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. 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
SUBS 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.