|
June 28, 2026 
|
|
|
In their constructor notes for today’s puzzle, Rebecca Goldstein and Christina Iverson wrote: “The actors have their Oscars and Tonys and Emmys, and writers have their Pulitzers, but what do crossword constructors get? As it turns out, we get the ORCAS, where anyone can vote for the nominated puzzles and clues and constructors in different genres. Every year there’s also a ‘constructor of the year.’ The two of us received the honor in back-to-back years (2024 and 2025), so we decided we’d better team up and make a puzzle together.” Get more insights into this puzzle in the Wordplay column.
Puzzles You May Have Missed
Crossplay Tip
Consider making a setup for a tile you have: If you’re holding a high-value tile, see if you can make a play that creates a huge opportunity. For instance, imagine that you can play ZANY with the Z on the triple letter score for 36 points. You can instead play just ANY, keeping the Z, in the hope that you can later play a perpendicular Z word that makes Z(ANY). This would net you the triple letter score for the Z in both directions, a powerful 60 points for the Z alone!
Connections Quandary
Here’s the hardest category from Friday, June 19. What connects these four things? See the answer in the P.S.
Strands
Last week’s hardest Strands puzzle was KNICKS KNACK, from Saturday, June 20 — 84.92 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Last week’s easiest Strands puzzle was HEEBIE-JEEBIES, from Monday, June 22 — 93.19 percent of solvers were able to complete it.
Strands puzzles last week — from June 19 to 25 — were a bit easier than those from the week before.
Wordle Weekly Recap
Hardest word: EMOJI, from Friday, June 19.
Average guesses: 4.48, with 14.83 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
Easiest word: UNITY, from Thursday, June 25.
Average guesses: 3.92, with 32.66 percent of players solving in three or fewer.
The Wordle answers last week — from June 19 to 25 — were a little harder than those from the week before.
Spelling Bee Hive
Overall, the Spelling Bee hives last week — from June 19 to 25 — were a little easier than those from the week before. Of our subscribers who played last week, 36.95 percent hit Genius at least once.
Last week’s hardest puzzle: Tuesday, June 23 had the hardest pangram, with only 30.53 percent of users finding it.
Tuesday’s pangram: MARIJUANA
Letter set: A I J M N R U
Relax With Us
More than any other season, summer in the Northern Hemisphere feels like it’s meant for getting yourself off your phone and into nature. It’s too hot to think. The days are long. The sun is beating down in the sky. The world is telling you to get out of the house and have a real-life, embodied experience. Last weekend I went to a three-day music festival with my friends in a town near the place where I went to camp as a child. It brought back warm memories to be surrounded by trees in familiar environs.
The music festival itself was the kind of environment we didn’t feel the need to leave, because all of our needs were taken care of. There were food trucks and portable toilets aplenty. Our only task was to spread ourselves out on a blanket and listen to live music. My deskbound urban life felt like a faraway memory. By the end of the weekend, I realized I’d been spending entire days outside. My skin was tanned, and dirt was caked under my fingernails, but I was able to access a feeling of playful openness that isn’t always available to me as an adult.
How are we doing?
We’d love your feedback on this newsletter. Please email thoughts and suggestions to crosswordeditors@nytimes.com.
Thanks for playing!
