Face the Music – Tuesday, 10 February 2026 • By By Adrian Johnson/Edited by Mike Shenk
Navigating the witty twists and turns of the Wall Street Journal Crossword is no small feat. Today’s puzzle, titled “Face the Music – Tuesday, 10 February 2026”, brings a fresh set of challenges crafted by By Adrian Johnson/Edited by Mike Shenk. If you find yourself stuck on a particular clue or trying to crack the theme without breaking your streak, you are in the right place.
At WordFinder Tips, we analyze the puzzle daily to bring you not just the answers, but the logic behind them. Below, you will find our Interactive Solver which allows you to check specific answers for ‘Across’ and ‘Down’ clues separately.
🧩 Theme Analysis: Face the Music – Tuesday, 10 February 2026
In WSJ puzzles, the title is your compass. “Face the Music – Tuesday, 10 February 2026” likely hints at a wordplay mechanic involving synonyms, added letters, or perhaps a visual pun hidden in the grid. Look closely at the longest Across answers—they usually hold the key to unlocking the puzzle’s core concept.
Interactive Solver
Use the tabs below to switch between Across and Down clues. The grid will update to focus on your selected direction.
Face the Music – Tuesday, 10 February 2026
1G
2A
3T
4O
5R
6W
7I
8C
9K
10H
11T
12T
13P
14A
M
I
N
O
15O
D
I
N
16W
H
O
A
17M
E
N
T
A
18L
N
O
T
E
19Y
E
W
S
20E
N
C
O
D
E
21Y
E
22T
23S
E
T
24D
D
T
25M
A
26G
27I
28C
A
29T
T
L
E
30T
A
P
E
M
31E
A
S
U
R
E
32G
33I
34N
U
P
35T
A
R
P
36L
A
T
37S
38A
V
E
R
S
39F
L
O
40R
A
N
T
O
41S
E
W
N
42M
A
I
D
43E
N
D
E
D
44S
P
I
45D
E
R
V
E
46R
S
E
47W
E
A
P
O
N
48E
D
I
T
49S
50P
51A
52H
E
R
53C
U
54T
55N
E
56A
T
E
N
57O
N
E
58S
59B
R
60E
61N
D
A
S
O
N
G
62L
I
N
E
63A
U
R
A
64S
T
O
N
E
65E
T
T
A
66R
E
A
P
67Y
O
D
E
L
1Glades denizen
GATOR
6Flame bearer
WICK
10URL starter
HTTP
14___ acid
AMINO
15Valhalla VIP
ODIN
16“Hold on there!”
WHOA
17Unwritten reminder
MENTALNOTE
19Trees whose wood is used for lutes and longbows
YEWS
20Render unreadable
ENCODE
21Nonetheless
YET
23Filming location
SET
24Insecticide banned since 1972
DDT
25Trio of yuletide gift-givers
MAGI
28Ranch stock
CATTLE
30Tool for tailors and contractors
TAPEMEASURE
32Generate, as enthusiasm
GINUP
35Cover for a rain delay
TARP
36Back muscles
LATS
38Declares to be the case
AVERS
39“Whistle” rapper ___ Rida
FLO
40Wound up costing
RANTO
41Left in stitches?
SEWN
42Hotel worker
MAID
43Finished
ENDED
44Multiple reality realm in 2018 and 2023 animated Marvel movies
SPIDERVERSE
47Part of a Clue accusation
WEAPON
48Revise writing
EDIT
49Hot spot on a cruise ship
SPA
52She/___
HER
53Director’s cry
CUT
55Make more presentable
NEATEN
57Bills in tills
ONES
59London Tipton’s portrayer on “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody”
BRENDASONG
62Script unit
LINE
63Mysterious quality
AURA
64Sculpting medium
STONE
65“Something’s Got a Hold on Me” singer James
ETTA
66Gather from the fields
REAP
67Alpine air?
YODEL
1Unfairly manipulated, as the system
GAMED
2Modify for the better
AMEND
3Light touch of color
TINCT
4Not fooled by
ONTO
5Service station offerings of the past
ROADMAPS
6Took the title
WON
7Chapel promise
IDO
8Mayor’s domain
CITY
9Triangular bone
KNEECAP
10Rte. 66, e.g.
HWY
11London thoroughfare from Trafalgar Square to Fleet Street
THESTRAND
12BBQ joint freebie
TOWELETTE
13Art class stuff
PASTE
18Vault
LEAP
22Profs’ helpers, for short
TAS
26Achieve a lot
GETFAR
27Cry from a survivor
IMALIVE
29Louisiana university
TULANE
30Root vegetable in the mustard family
TURNIP
31Crumbled, maybe
ERODED
32Chlorine or fluorine
GAS
33“Pick a different movie”
IVESEENIT
34Person who might not get much sleep
NEWPARENT
37Lawn material
SOD
40“Don’t worry about a thing!”
RESTEASY
42Part of an Office window?
MENUBAR
45Colleague of Sleepy and Sneezy
DOC
46Watermelon protector
RIND
47Complete
WHOLE
49Arose
STOOD
50Tube-shaped pasta
PENNE
51Brat’s opposite
ANGEL
54Factual
TRUE
56“Speaking of…”
ASTO
58Isle surrounder
SEA
60Historian’s focus
ERA
61Afternoon refresher
NAP
How to Play the WSJ Crossword
The Wall Street Journal crossword is widely considered one of the best in the country, right up there with the New York Times. It is edited by Mike Shenk, a legend in the puzzle community.
Weekly Difficulty Curve
Monday & Tuesday: Gentle and welcoming. Perfect for newer solvers. The themes are usually straightforward.
Wednesday & Thursday: The difficulty ramps up. You will see more wordplay and fewer direct definition clues.
Friday: The toughest daily puzzle. Expect tricky themes and obscure vocabulary.
Saturday (The Contest): This is unique to the WSJ. The puzzle includes a ‘meta-challenge’ where you must find a hidden answer (usually a single word or phrase) that is not in the grid but is derived from the answers.
Tips for Solving Faster
Fill the Blanks First: Scan the clues for Fill-in-the-blank style clues (e.g., ‘Salt and ___’). These are usually the easiest to get and provide anchor letters for the surrounding harder words.
Another key strategy is to check the 3 and 4-letter words. Words like ‘ERA’, ‘ORE’, ‘ARIA’, and ‘ETE’ appear frequently in crosswords (known as ‘crosswordese’) because of their helpful vowel structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the WSJ Crossword free?
Yes, the Wall Street Journal offers its daily puzzle for free on its website, unlike many other major publications.
What time is the puzzle released?
The puzzle is usually available online at midnight ET.
Who is the editor?
The puzzle is edited by Mike Shenk, who has been steering the WSJ puzzle section since its inception.
