Wall Street Journal Crossword May 21, 2026 Answers

Below are all the clues for the Thursday, May 21, 2026 Wall Street Journal Crossword, titled “I Could Go Either Way” by Jeff Stillman. Today’s puzzle has a total of 74 crossword clues. Click any clue to reveal its answer, letter count, and past appearances.

ConstructorJeff Stillman

Clues74

Grid15×15

Across

1Col.’s subordinate3 Letters

4Decide that you will5 Letters

9“Groovy!”5 Letters

14Character voiced by Hank Azaria until 20173 Letters

15“Black Doves” star Knightley5 Letters

16Name that replaced Jersey Standard in 19725 Letters

17Lay the criticism on thick9 Letters

19Avignon’s western edge5 Letters

20Fixes, as shoelaces6 Letters

21Action that might precede a brawl7 Letters

23Litmus reddener4 Letters

24Opportunity to retire?7 Letters

26D.C. bigwig3 Letters

27So-called “Island of the Gods”4 Letters

28Facing the sky, perhaps6 Letters

32Fort Worth sch.3 Letters

34Online chats, for short3 Letters

36Instrument named from the Persian for “three string”5 Letters

37“So long!”5 Letters

39Big brute3 Letters

40Doctor’s orders5 Letters

41Complete range5 Letters

42Cavs, on a scoreboard3 Letters

43Pocatello sch.3 Letters

44Food Network’s “Essence of ___”6 Letters

46Tahoe runner4 Letters

48L.A. clock setting3 Letters

51In shorter supply7 Letters

53Riboflavin, alternatively4 Letters

54Russian opposition leader Navalny7 Letters

56Skin care product derived from bird fat6 Letters

58Graph gradient5 Letters

59Court worker’s machine9 Letters

61Eye-defying works5 Letters

62Britney’s duet partner on “Hold Me Closer”5 Letters

63Ref. with more than 500,000 entries3 Letters

64Bygone birds5 Letters

65Tombstone name5 Letters

66“For the people who serve” org.3 Letters

Down

1Strong cotton fabric6 Letters

2Individually6 Letters

3Without a moment to spare10 Letters

4“The Grapes of Wrath” figure4 Letters

5Place for a pawdicure6 Letters

6Uruguayan uncle3 Letters

7Believe without reservation15 Letters

8They may be minced5 Letters

9Bad trait for a poker player10 Letters

10Boomers with bell-bottoms in the back of the closet, maybe9 Letters

11Neural transmitter4 Letters

12Asian secret society4 Letters

13Bit of binary code3 Letters

18Lay low3 Letters

22Fourth qtr. followers3 Letters

25Hipbone-related5 Letters

27Greyhound boarding needs10 Letters

29“Isn’t my place to decide,” or, spoken aloud, a component of 3-, 7-, 9- and 27-Down10 Letters

30Baseballer with a W on his cap3 Letters

31Hesitant sounds3 Letters

33Swing teacher9 Letters

35Worrisome note on a quiz5 Letters

37Epoch division3 Letters

38Spillway site3 Letters

45“___ Mañanitas” (traditional Mexican birthday song)3 Letters

47Schoolyard comeback6 Letters

49Takes the wrong way6 Letters

50El Greco Museum setting6 Letters

52Mend a seam5 Letters

53On the other hand3 Letters

54Purina brand4 Letters

55Bridge engineer’s calculation4 Letters

57Blanc, par exemple4 Letters

58Yard goods?3 Letters

60Character from Euripides3 Letters

About the May 21, 2026 WSJ Crossword

The Wall Street Journal Crossword for Thursday, May 21, 2026 runs under the title “I Could Go Either Way” and was constructed by Jeff Stillman. It uses a 15×15 grid and contains 74 clues — 39 across and 35 down. Every answer above has been solved and verified by hand.

The WSJ Crossword publishes six days a week, Monday through Saturday, with difficulty building across the week. Monday puzzles are the most approachable, while Friday brings the celebrated WSJ contest crossword with a meta answer to crack, and Saturday features the largest grid of the week. Click any clue above to open a dedicated answer page with a letter-by-letter breakdown and every past appearance of that clue.

Looking for a different day? Use the search bar at the top of the page, or browse Recent Puzzles in the sidebar. The official puzzle is published daily on the WSJ Puzzles site.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many clues are in the May 21, 2026 WSJ Crossword?

This puzzle contains 74 clues — 39 across and 35 down — all listed above with links to individual answer pages.

Who constructed this Wall Street Journal Crossword?

The May 21, 2026 puzzle was constructed by Jeff Stillman.

Are these WSJ Crossword answers correct?

Yes. Every answer on WSJCrosswordAnswers.org is solved by hand from the official WSJ grid and cross-checked before publishing. If you spot a discrepancy, please let us know.

Is WSJCrosswordAnswers.org affiliated with the Wall Street Journal?

No. We are an independent, fan-made reference site and are not affiliated with The Wall Street Journal. The WSJ Crossword is a trademark of its respective owner.