If you’re looking to flex your vocabulary muscles beyond the standard crossword, The Missing Letter crossword puzzle by Merriam-Webster is a daily brain teaser! This puzzle is not just filling in a grid, but an alphabetical hunt. With the clues, each starting with a different letter of the alphabet, the real challenge is figuring out which single letter has been left out. Here are the answers and the crucial missing letter for today’s puzzle, January 6, 2026.
The Missing Letter Answers Today: January 6, 2026
The Missing Letter is: F
By solving the clues provided, the letter F is the only one not utilised as a starting letter for an answer.
Across Answers: ➡️
- 1 Across: GEOGRAPHICAL NAME: “city in central Delaware population 36,047…the capital of Delaware” — DOVER
- 6 Across: Sunday seating, sometimes — PEW
- 9 Across: NOUN: “the…last letter of the Greek alphabet” — OMEGA
- 10 Across: Granny, in Germany — OMA
- 11 Across: NOUN: “an Englishman or lowlander as distinguished from a Welshman, Irishman, or Highlander” — SAXON
- 12 Across: NOUN: “official credit to a [baseball player] for driving [a teammate home]” — RBI
- 13 Across: Trendy tuna — AHI
- 14 Across: Without delay, on “ER” — STAT
- 15 Across: NOUN: “a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold” — ALCHEMY
- 18 Across: NOUN: “any of a genus…of wild or domesticated, long-necked, South American ruminant mammals related to the camels but smaller and without a hump” — LLAMA
- 19 Across: ADJECTIVE: “growing or expanding very quickly” — BOOMING
- 21 Across: Shock — JOLT
- 22 Across: COMBINING FORM: “having three elements or parts” — TRI
- 24 Across: Reversible brand of kitchen appliances — OXO
- 25 Across: Sam of golf fame — SNEAD
- 27 Across: NOUN: “a small cask or barrel having a capacity of 30 gallons or less” — KEG
- 28 Across: Keaton or Sawyer — DIANE
- 29 Across: Ending for mock or station — ERY
- 30 Across: Taters — SPUDS
Down Answers: ⬇️
- 1 Down: Savory crepe — DOSA
- 2 Down: City two hours west of Des Moines — OMAHA
- 3 Down: NOUN: “the study of flags” — VEXILLOLOGY
- 4 Down: NOUN: “the self especially as contrasted with another self or the world” — EGO
- 5 Down: Sought office — RAN
- 6 Down: NOUN: “a word or part of a word made by combining the spellings and meanings of two or more other words or word parts (such as smog from smoke and fog)” — PORTMANTEAU
- 7 Down: Keep bottled up in a harbor, as wind might a sailboat — EMBAY
- 8 Down: VERB: “to remain stationary in readiness or expectation” — WAIT
- 14 Down: Prefix with formal or pro — SEMI
- 16 Down: NOUN: “a roundish viscous lump formed by coagulation of a portion of liquid or by melting” — CLOT
- 17 Down:NOUN: “an actor performing in an exaggerated theatrical style” — HAM
- 19 Down: Mike Tyson or Tyson Fury, e.g. — BOXER
- 20 Down: NOUN: “a thousand dollars” — GRAND
- 21 Down: NOUN: “something said or done to provoke laughter” — JOKE
- 23 Down: NOUN: “the 15th day of March, May, July, or October or the 13th day of any other month in the ancient Roman calendar” — IDES
- 25 Down: 1960s campus org. — SDS
- 26 Down: NOUN: “a small quantity of liquor” — NIP
The Missing Letter Crossword Answer Image for January 6, 2026
Today’s puzzle offered a sophisticated blend of specialized terminology and accessible cultural references. The grid was anchored by impressive long-form entries, including a deep-dive into the study of flags and the linguistic art of blending words. While technical terms like the ancient Roman calendar and specific liquid measurements provided a stiff challenge for the vocabulary-inclined, the presence of legendary golfers and iconic actresses helped maintain a steady solving rhythm. The difficulty felt perfectly calibrated for a Tuesday, offering a smooth path to identifying the one elusive letter left out of the alphabetical hunt. I would rate this puzzle 4 out of 5.
How to Play ‘The Missing Letter’
If you’re new to this Merriam-Webster classic, here’s how the “alphabetical twist” works:
- The Goal: Fill the grid using 25 words that each begin with a unique letter of the alphabet.
- Identify the Gap: Once the grid is complete, determine which of the 26 letters was not used as a starting letter.
- Weekly Reward: Keep track of each daily missing letter; at the end of the week, you can unscramble them to solve the Weekly Mystery Word.
