WSJ Crossword July 15, 2026 Answers and Explanations
The Wall Street Journal crossword for July 15, 2026, “Drop Dead Gorgeous,” is a Wednesday puzzle by Zachary David Levy with 78 clues on a 15×15 grid. Wednesday grids sit in the middle of the week’s difficulty curve: the fill is mostly familiar, but the theme asks for a little lateral thinking. The longest entry is INNOCENTMAN at 11 letters.
Every answer is listed below in grid order, Across first and then Down, with a short explanation of how the entry sits in the grid. Use the Definition link under any entry to pull the dictionary meaning of the answer word, or click the clue to open its own page with past appearances and neighboring clues.
Across
1 Across is TEXTS, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 1, column 1. It begins with T and ends with S, with 1 vowel among its 5 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
6 Across is HARTS, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 1, column 7. It begins with H and ends with S, with 1 vowel among its 5 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
11 Across is EDS, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 1, column 13. It begins with E and ends with S, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
14 Across is MOIRA, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 2, column 1. It begins with M and ends with A, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
15 Across is ALOHA, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 2, column 7. It begins with A and ends with A, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
16 Across is ART, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 2, column 13. It begins with A and ends with T, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
17 Across is INNOCENTMAN, a 11-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 3, column 1. It begins with I and ends with N, with 4 vowels among its 11 letters.
19 Across is TAJ, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 3, column 13. It begins with T and ends with J, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
20 Across is OHSNAP, a 6-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 4, column 4. It begins with O and ends with P, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters.
21 Across is AMIGO, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 4, column 11. It begins with A and ends with O, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
23 Across is QUEPASA, a 7-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 5, column 1. It begins with Q and ends with A, with 4 vowels among its 7 letters.
26 Across is RAUNCH, a 6-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 5, column 10. It begins with R and ends with H, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters.
27 Across is BMX, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 6, column 1. It begins with B and ends with X, with 0 vowels among its 3 letters.
28 Across is UHHUH, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 6, column 6. It begins with U and ends with H, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
31 Across is STAN, a 4-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 6, column 12. It begins with S and ends with N, with 1 vowel among its 4 letters.
32 Across is SPOIL, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 7, column 1. It begins with S and ends with L, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters. A clue phrased this way asks for the category that the example belongs to.
35 Across is ERECTORS, a 8-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 7, column 8. It begins with E and ends with S, with 3 vowels among its 8 letters.
37 Across is FERDINAND, a 9-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 8, column 4. It begins with F and ends with D, with 3 vowels among its 9 letters.
40 Across is STATIONS, a 8-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 9, column 1. It begins with S and ends with S, with 3 vowels among its 8 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
43 Across is NOBEL, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 9, column 11. It begins with N and ends with L, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
47 Across is TISH, a 4-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 10, column 1. It begins with T and ends with H, with 1 vowel among its 4 letters.
48 Across is OATHS, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 10, column 6. It begins with O and ends with S, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
51 Across is IKE, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 10, column 13. It begins with I and ends with E, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
52 Across is RELICS, a 6-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 11, column 1. It begins with R and ends with S, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
54 Across is IODIZED, a 7-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 11, column 9. It begins with I and ends with D, with 4 vowels among its 7 letters.
57 Across is ARESO, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 12, column 1. It begins with A and ends with O, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
58 Across is GARNER, a 6-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 12, column 7. It begins with G and ends with R, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters.
60 Across is HOW, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 13, column 1. It begins with H and ends with W, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
61 Across is VALLEYFORGE, a 11-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 13, column 5. It begins with V and ends with E, with 4 vowels among its 11 letters.
66 Across is ADO, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 14, column 1. It begins with A and ends with O, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
67 Across is ELUDE, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 14, column 5. It begins with E and ends with E, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
68 Across is INPEN, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 14, column 11. It begins with I and ends with N, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
69 Across is NSF, a 3-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 15, column 1. It begins with N and ends with F, with 0 vowels among its 3 letters. The shortening cue in the clue tells you to expect an abbreviation or initials.
70 Across is RAGAS, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 15, column 5. It begins with R and ends with S, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
71 Across is BYGOD, a 5-letter entry that runs left to right starting in row 15, column 11. It begins with B and ends with D, with 1 vowel among its 5 letters.
Down
1 Down is TMI, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 1. It begins with T and ends with I, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
2 Down is EON, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 2. It begins with E and ends with N, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
3 Down is XIN, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 3. It begins with X and ends with N, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
4 Down is TROOP, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 4. It begins with T and ends with P, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
5 Down is SACHA, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 5. It begins with S and ends with A, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
6 Down is HANNAH, a 6-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 7. It begins with H and ends with H, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters.
7 Down is ALTA, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 8. It begins with A and ends with A, with 2 vowels among its 4 letters.
8 Down is ROMP, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 9. It begins with R and ends with P, with 1 vowel among its 4 letters.
9 Down is THA, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 10. It begins with T and ends with A, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
10 Down is SANAA, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 11. It begins with S and ends with A, with 3 vowels among its 5 letters.
11 Down is EATINTO, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 13. It begins with E and ends with O, with 4 vowels among its 7 letters.
12 Down is DRAGCAR, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 14. It begins with D and ends with R, with 2 vowels among its 7 letters.
13 Down is STJOHNS, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 1, column 15. It begins with S and ends with S, with 1 vowel among its 7 letters.
18 Down is ESSU, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 3, column 6. It begins with E and ends with U, with 2 vowels among its 4 letters.
22 Down is MUSTDO, a 6-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 4, column 12. It begins with M and ends with O, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters.
23 Down is QBS, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 5, column 1. It begins with Q and ends with S, with 0 vowels among its 3 letters.
24 Down is UMP, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 5, column 2. It begins with U and ends with P, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
25 Down is EXO, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 5, column 3. It begins with E and ends with O, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
26 Down is RHEA, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 5, column 10. It begins with R and ends with A, with 2 vowels among its 4 letters.
29 Down is HEIST, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 6, column 8. It begins with H and ends with T, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
30 Down is URN, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 6, column 9. It begins with U and ends with N, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
33 Down is IFTHIS, a 6-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 7, column 4. It begins with I and ends with S, with 2 vowels among its 6 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
34 Down is LEI, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 7, column 5. It begins with L and ends with I, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
36 Down is CNN, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 7, column 11. It begins with C and ends with N, with 0 vowels among its 3 letters.
38 Down is ROOS, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 8, column 6. It begins with R and ends with S, with 2 vowels among its 4 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
39 Down is DNA, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 8, column 7. It begins with D and ends with A, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
40 Down is STRAHAN, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 1. It begins with S and ends with N, with 2 vowels among its 7 letters.
41 Down is TIERODS, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 2. It begins with T and ends with S, with 3 vowels among its 7 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
42 Down is ASLEWOF, a 7-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 3. It begins with A and ends with F, with 3 vowels among its 7 letters.
44 Down is BIZ, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 13. It begins with B and ends with Z, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
45 Down is EKE, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 14. It begins with E and ends with E, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
46 Down is LED, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 9, column 15. It begins with L and ends with D, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
49 Down is HIREES, a 6-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 10, column 9. It begins with H and ends with S, with 3 vowels among its 6 letters. A plural clue takes a plural answer, which is why the entry ends in S.
50 Down is SONY, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 10, column 10. It begins with S and ends with Y, with 1 vowel among its 4 letters.
53 Down is COVER, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 11, column 5. It begins with C and ends with R, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
55 Down is DEFIB, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 11, column 11. It begins with D and ends with B, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
56 Down is IRONY, a 5-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 11, column 12. It begins with I and ends with Y, with 2 vowels among its 5 letters.
58 Down is GLUG, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 12, column 7. It begins with G and ends with G, with 1 vowel among its 4 letters.
59 Down is ALDA, a 4-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 12, column 8. It begins with A and ends with A, with 2 vowels among its 4 letters.
62 Down is ALA, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 13, column 6. It begins with A and ends with A, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
63 Down is RPG, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 13, column 13. It begins with R and ends with G, with 0 vowels among its 3 letters. A clue phrased this way asks for the category that the example belongs to.
64 Down is GEO, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 13, column 14. It begins with G and ends with O, with 2 vowels among its 3 letters.
65 Down is END, a 3-letter entry that runs top to bottom starting in row 13, column 15. It begins with E and ends with D, with 1 vowel among its 3 letters.
About this puzzle
This Wednesday grid contains 35 Across and 43 Down entries, with 38 black squares and 22 circled squares that carry the theme. Wednesday grids sit in the middle of the week’s difficulty curve: the fill is mostly familiar, but the theme asks for a little lateral thinking.
Prefer to solve it yourself first? The homepage lists every clue for the latest puzzle without answers, and the archive covers every WSJ crossword in our index by date. The official puzzle is published on the WSJ Puzzles page.