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May 17, 2026 
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In the constructor notes for today’s puzzle, Derrick Niederman wrote: “Although there was no particular beginning to this puzzle in the light-bulb-going-off sense, I think the pairing at 22A was first on the scene and has been with me for a while … but its eventual counterpart in the lower right didn’t arrive until the second stage of editing.” Read more about how he made this puzzle in the Wordplay column.
Puzzles You May Have Missed
Crossplay Tip
Beware of the “triple-double”: In Crossplay, it is possible to play an eight-letter word through a floating tile that simultaneously hits a triple word score and a double word score, multiplying its points by a total of six. These plays often score over 100 points. If you see a lane where that is a possibility, try blocking it if you are winning, or try setting yourself up for being able to use it in the near future if you are losing.
Connections Quandary
Here’s the hardest category from Tuesday, May 12. What connects these four things? See the answer in the P.S.
Strands
Last week’s hardest Strands puzzle was QUITE THE PAIR, from Tuesday, May 12 — 75.52 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Last week’s easiest Strands puzzle was GARDEN VARIETIES, from Saturday, May 9 — 88.53 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Strands puzzles last week — from May 8 to 14 — were roughly equal in difficulty compared with those from the week before.
Wordle Weekly Recap
Hardest word: DOWDY, from Wednesday, May 13.
Average guesses: 4.91, with 6.31 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
Easiest word: SATIN, from Saturday, May 9.
Average guesses: 3.63, with 49.98 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
The Wordle answers last week — from May 8 to 14 — were nearly equal in difficulty compared with those from the week before.
Spelling Bee Hive
Overall, the Spelling Bee hives last week — from May 8 to 14 — were a lot harder than those from the week before. Of our subscribers who played last week, 38.77 percent hit Genius at least once.
Last week’s hardest puzzle: Saturday, May 9, had the hardest pangram, with only 20.61 percent of users finding it.
Saturday’s pangram: MEGAHIT
Letter set: T A E G H I M
Relax With Us
I went to a wedding last weekend and, after writing 10 newsletters for The New York Times’s Wedding Plan, I’ve definitely had weddings on the brain. Last week I discovered the magic of being at a 400-person function where you truly know nobody except your date. Not one to shy away from the dance floor under normal circumstances, I found that when you don’t know anyone, the pressure’s off and you can dance to your heart’s content. That brings me to the topic of the day: To relax, I love having and attending parties. There are very few things in the world that bring me so much joy as a special occasion does.
My birthday was on Friday, and as the day approached, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Last year I had a big party where my friends and I packed a bar and hit a minimum. But this year I didn’t want to deal with the logistics of arranging D.J.s or finding a venue. Then I realized I could host people on my building’s rooftop, and I got straight to work. When I invite my faraway friends to visit with enough notice, and let them crash at my place, they drive into town. (My mom always says she has “rubber walls” — referring to having a home that’s like a revolving door — and I’ve certainly inherited that instinct.) In a world that’s rebounding from a multiyear pandemic, nothing is quite as calming as being in the (pleasant) company of others. I can relax only so much when I’m on my own.
How are we doing?
We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to crosswordeditors@nytimes.com.
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P.S. The answer to the Connections Quandary is that they are all names of currencies with a letter added to them.
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