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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe Wednesday, March 11, 2026, NYT Crossword has SERENDIPITY as its revealer, linking four inventions associated with chance discoveries: POST-IT NOTES, PENICILLIN, MICROWAVE OVEN, and SILLY PUTTY. The puzzle was constructed by John Guzzetta and edited by Will Shortz; it is a 15×15 grid with 74 clues. The complete answer key is below.
Theme answers and revealer
The long entries describe inventions or discoveries connected to unexpected circumstances. Their shared idea is named by the puzzle’s revealer, SERENDIPITY.
| Entry | Answer | Theme connection in the clue |
|---|---|---|
| 17-Across | POST-IT NOTES | Spencer Silver at 3M was working on a superstrong adhesive in 1968. |
| 24-Across | PENICILLIN | Alexander Fleming found mold in a staphylococcus culture in 1928. |
| 36-Across | MICROWAVE OVEN | Percy Spencer noticed a chocolate bar melt near a magnetron in 1945. |
| 44-Across | SILLY PUTTY | James Wright was trying to develop synthetic rubber in 1943. |
| 56-Across | SERENDIPITY | The revealer: a happy chance, as illustrated by the four invention stories. |
The dated puzzle references identify the constructor and editor and provide the full key: XWord Info’s March 11, 2026 puzzle page and WordHint’s dated answer page.
Across answers
- 1. Clause separator — COMMA
- 6. Channel showing committee hearings — C-SPAN
- 11. Request — ASK
- 14. Winning, for the moment — AHEAD
- 15. “Don Giovanni” genre — OPERA
- 16. Container for sardines — TIN
- 17. Superstrong-adhesive attempt — POST-IT NOTES
- 19. Musician Yoko — ONO
- 20. One in a hundred — SENATOR
- 21. Alternative to fries, maybe — SLAW
- 22. ___-color pasta — TRI
- 24. Mold found in a bacteria culture — PENICILLIN
- 27. Vulgar — COARSE
- 30. Answer to the riddle ending “How many are going to St. Ives?” — ONE
- 31. “Olympia” painter — MANET
- 32. Ran out, as time — ELAPSED
- 36. Melted-chocolate-bar discovery — MICROWAVE OVEN
- 39. Language in which “computer” is made up of the characters for “electric” and “brain” — CHINESE
- 40. Take one’s foot off the gas — LET UP
- 42. Kwik-E-Mart proprietor on “The Simpsons” — APU
- 43. Attacks — BESETS
- 44. Synthetic-rubber attempt — SILLY PUTTY
- 50. Initials on a police forensic van — CSI
- 51. Racetrack shape — OVAL
- 52. Like Mercury among all the planets vis-à-vis the sun — NEAREST
- 55. One to build on — LOT
- 56. Happy chance — SERENDIPITY
- 60. Singer Garfunkel — ART
- 61. Update, as the Constitution — AMEND
- 62. Vaudeville show — REVUE
- 63. Deli bread option — RYE
- 64. ___-turvy — TOPSY
- 65. Paradises — EDENS
Down answers
- 1. Upper limit — CAP
- 2. “Well, that’s a surprise!” — OHO
- 3. Marked by a religious zeal — MESSIANIC
- 4. Join — MATE
- 5. Tennis score after deuce — AD IN
- 6. Old French tale — CONTE
- 7. With whom the dish ran away in “Hey Diddle Diddle” — SPOON
- 8. ___ dish — PETRI
- 9. Exist — ARE
- 10. Rapper Lil ___ X — NAS
- 11. Part of Micronesia — ATOLL
- 12. Mount associated with Moses — SINAI
- 13. Recognized — KNOWN
- 18. Wrap for an athlete’s injury — TAPE
- 21. Things a vest lacks — SLEEVES
- 22. Channel for old westerns — TCM
- 23. Wander — ROAM
- 25. Deal (with) — COPE
- 26. Shoe part — INSOLE
- 28. Community center for games and activities — REC HALL
- 29. Having streaks — STRIPY
- 32. Producer of milk for Roquefort cheese — EWE
- 33. See 32-Down — SEE
- 34. Fastener on a blouse — SNAP
- 35. Run — RACE
- 36. Gives the green light — OKS
- 37. Hightailed it — FLED
- 38. Exam for college applicants — SAT
- 41. Large cask — TUN
- 44. “For sure!” — YES
- 45. Sound of a tennis ball being hit — POCK
- 46. Fighting — AT IT
- 47. Self-portrait, informally — SELFIE
- 48. What gives a play its thrust — PLOT
- 49. ___ and hearty — HALE
- 53. Takes to court — SUES
- 54. Hightailed it — FLED
Where to play or find the archived puzzle
The New York Times offers its daily Crossword on the NYT Games site and in the Games and News apps; it also appears in the print newspaper. The daily puzzle is in Arts Monday through Saturday, with the Sunday puzzle in the Sunday Magazine. The NYT Help Center explains how to print a puzzle and choose the “Solution” print option.
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To locate an earlier puzzle, use the official NYT Crossword Archive and navigate by puzzle type and month/year. The Times says Games and All Access subscribers can access the archive; people without those subscriptions have limited access.
