USA Today Crossword Answers Today (2026-02-03): “Scare Quotes” Solved
USA Today Crossword Answers Today
Solutions for 2026-02-03
Featured Puzzle Theme
“Scare Quotes”
The USA Today Crossword for 2026-02-03 offers a refreshing take on daily wordplay. Today’s grid, themed around “Scare Quotes”, provides a sophisticated balance of straightforward definitions and clever intersections.
If you have found yourself stuck on a particular clue or a difficult crossing, we have deconstructed the entire 15×15 grid for you. We solve this puzzle every morning to ensure that our verified answers are ready as soon as you need them. Below, you will find the complete list of Across and Down solutions organized for easy navigation.
Grid Analysis & Stats
| Publisher | USA Today |
| Puzzle Name | Scare Quotes |
| Verification | Daily Solved |
To help maintain the spirit of the game, we use a click-to-reveal system. This allows you to check a single word without seeing other answers that you might still want to solve on your own.
Across Solutions
01. Small earring
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “S”.
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STUD
05. Duos
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “T”.
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TWOS
09. “I ___ be dreaming!”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “M”.
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MUST
13. “Every single hot ___ is cold as ice”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “T”.
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TAKE
14. Pleasant scent
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “A”.
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AROMA
15. Prefix for “hero” or “venom”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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ANTI
16. Spanish for “water”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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AGUA
17. “Go right ahead!”
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This word has 10 letters and starts with “S”.
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SEEIFICARE
19. “___ cost ya”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “I”.
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ITLL
20. Sweet and sour, e.g.
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “T”.
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TASTES
21. Physique, for short
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “B”.
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BOD
22. Once known as
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “N”.
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NEE
23. Little kid
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “T”.
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TOT
24. Apt name for a character in a Christmas movie
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “H”.
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HOLLY
26. Discount events
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “S”.
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SALES
28. Tried to “make up time,” say
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “S”.
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SPED
32. One-named soccer legend
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “P”.
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PELE
33. Arizona city home to Organ Stop Pizza
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “M”.
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MESA
34. Cropped up
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “A”.
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AROSE
36. Collaborate on a video call, say
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This word has 11 letters and starts with “S”.
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SCREENSHARE
40. “All kidding ___ . . .”
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “A”.
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ASIDE
41. Scottish gal
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “L”.
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LASS
43. Sound from a hoof
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “C”.
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CLOP
46. Accumulation that might cause a sneeze
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “D”.
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DUST
48. Wide necktie
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “A”.
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ASCOT
50. Ice skate strings
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “L”.
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LACES
52. Kept out of sight
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “H”.
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HID
54. “Without further ___ . . .”
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “A”.
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ADO
55. Decide
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “O”.
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OPT
56. On a train
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “A”.
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ABOARD
60. “Sad to say . . .”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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ALAS
61. Red Hot Chili Peppers song about emotional wounds
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This word has 10 letters and starts with “S”.
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SCARTISSUE
63. Atlas parts
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “M”.
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MAPS
64. Roof overhang
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “E”.
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EAVE
65. Ecstasy
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “B”.
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BLISS
66. Great Plains tribe
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “O”.
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OTOE
67. Cherry discard
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “S”.
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STEM
68. Catamaran, e.g.
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “B”.
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BOAT
69. Clock lunge units
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “R”.
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REPS
Down Solutions
01. Wood applications
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “S”.
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STAINS
02. Tackle together
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “C”.
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CLOSES
03. Four-string instruments
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This word has 7 letters and starts with “T”.
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TAGTEAM
04. “Okay, so here’s the ___ . . .”
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “L”.
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LAPCAT
05. Alternatives to tricks
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This word has 8 letters and starts with “U”.
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UKULELES
06. Troubles
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “O”.
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OCTAVE
07. Skip over
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “D”.
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DEAL
08. Out of the woods, in a sense
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “E”.
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ESCAPE
09. PC alternative
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “R”.
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REM
10. Lacking the bandwidth
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “T”.
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TSARS
11. It’s a walk in the park!
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “S”.
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SAT
12. T-shirt coloring method
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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ASTO
14. Regarding
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “E”.
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EID
18. “It’s a lot more nuanced than that”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “B”.
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BIBB
23. Bygone Russian rulers
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “T”.
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TREATS
25. “Arabella” and “Aida”
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “E”.
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EDU
27. Get away
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “O”.
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OSLO
29. Window sections
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “W”.
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WOES
30. “The Pitt” and “Grey’s Anatomy” settings
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “P”.
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PANES
31. Verbal facepalm
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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ASIA
35. Word after “fruit” or “chopped”
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “O”.
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OMIT
37. “___ Mubarak!”
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “E”.
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ERS
38. College URL ending
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “T”.
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THRUST
39. Intensify
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “S”.
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SAFE
42. Saja Boys song with the lyric “Every sip makes me want more, yeah”
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “D”.
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DOH
43. Concludes a Broadway run
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “I”.
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IDES
44. Feline friend who might sit on you while you play video games
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “I”.
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ISH
45. Eight-note interval
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This word has 5 letters and starts with “S”.
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SALAD
47. Driving force
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This word has 3 letters and starts with “M”.
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MAC
49. Gets rid of
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “O”.
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OPERAS
51. ACT alternative
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This word has 4 letters and starts with “A”.
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AMOR
53. The ___ of March
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “U”.
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UNABLE
57. “The White Lotus” actor Leslie
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This word has 8 letters and starts with “E”.
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ESCALATE
58. Capital city visited on some fjord cruises
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “S”.
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STROLL
59. Largest continent
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This word has 7 letters and starts with “S”.
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SODAPOP
60. Mucho ___ (lots of love)
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “T”.
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TIEDYE
62. Sleep stage letters
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This word has 6 letters and starts with “T”.
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TOSSES
Solving Advice for Today’s Grid
In today’s layout, the clues for “Scare Quotes” often rely on intersecting vowels. If you find yourself stuck, we recommend focusing on the shorter 3-letter down clues first. This usually provides a strong enough framework to deduce the longer theme-based entries. Our daily solve ensures that every solution provided here is accurate and ready for your grid.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to solve USA Today crosswords?
Start with the clues you are most confident in, then use the intersecting letters to solve the more challenging entries. Our hint system is designed to provide a nudge without spoiling the fun.
Are these crossword solutions verified?
Yes. Every answer listed for the 2026-02-03 puzzle has been solved manually by our team to maintain 100% accuracy.