Stone used for the tip of some phonograph needles crossword clue
39 Down · WSJ Crossword, August 18, 2026 · 8 letters
Explanation
The answer to “Stone used for the tip of some phonograph needles” is SAPPHIRE. It appears as 39 Down in the Wall Street Journal crossword of August 18, 2026, a Tuesday puzzle titled “On The Corner” by Kelly Richardson, and it fills 8 squares running top to bottom from row 8, column 15 of the 15×15 grid.
The clue is a straightforward definition, so the answer is a direct synonym or a factual match for the words as written. The entry begins with S and ends with E, and contains 3 vowels and 5 consonants. If you are working from the crossings, two or three confirmed letters from the Across 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
SAPPHIRE 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.