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, February 8, 2026.
The Missing Letter Answers Today: February 8, 2026
The Missing Letter is: P
By solving the clues provided, the letter P is the only one not utilised as a starting letter for an answer.
Across Answers: ➡️
- 1 Across: NOUN: “a king of Israel in the ninth century b.c. and husband of Jezebel” – AHAB
- 5 Across: “Way to go!” – KUDOS
- 10 Across: Toronto players, casually – JAYS
- 14 Across: NOUN: “a soft food product prepared by treating soybean milk with coagulants” – TOFU
- 15 Across: In perfect harmony – ASONE
- 16 Across: Rickman or Ritchson – ALAN
- 17 Across: Role for Malcolm-Jamal – THEO
- 18 Across: Was the father of – BEGAT
- 19 Across: Irene who sang “Fame” – CARA
- 20 Across: IDIOM: “used to say that someone has said or suggested something that one thinks is good, worth doing, etc.” – NOWYOURETALKING
- 23 Across: Boat with bears and bison – ARK
- 24 Across: Seek damages from – SUE
- 25 Across: IDIOM: “used to say that one will gladly [take care of] something that he or she has been asked to” – CONSIDERITDONE
- 33 Across: Explorer da Gama – VASCO
- 34 Across: VERB: “to slip away” – EVADE
- 35 Across: NOUN: “one who lives in a [very large city]” – MET
- 36 Across: ADJECTIVE: “soiled with or as if with [a fluid used for writing]” – INKY
- 37 Across: Waken from slumber – ARISE
- 38 Across: “I ___ film today, oh boy” (Beatles line) – SAWA
- 39 Across: Greek H – ETA
- 40 Across: The ___ Brothers (rock band) – AVETT
- 41 Across: Fourth month – APRIL
- 42 Across: IDIOM: “to produce a desired result very easily and effectively” – WORKLIKEACHARM
- 45 Across: Suffix with spat or form – ULA
- 46 Across: Charlotte of “The Facts of Life” – RAE
- 47 Across: NOUN: “[an inquiry] asked in a way that is intended to produce a desired answer” – LEADINGQUESTION
- 56 Across: PREFIX: “to an extreme or excessive degree” – UBER
- 57 Across: NOUN: “a staid, drab, old-fashioned person” – FRUMP
- 58 Across: ADJECTIVE: “very eccentric or absurd often in an amusing way” – ZANY
- 59 Across: COMBINING FORM: “dry” – XERO
- 60 Across: Hansen of NPR fame – LIANE
- 61 Across: Teller of tall tales – LIAR
- 62 Across: Sufficient, archaically – ENOW
- 63 Across: Dramatic hairstyles – UPDOS
- 64 Across: Prefix meaning “within” – ENTO
Down Answers: ⬇️
- 1 Down: Abbr. on envelopes – ATTN
- 2 Down: IDIOM: “used to represent laughter” – HOHO
- 3 Down: Not too many – AFEW
- 4 Down: NOUN: “the tendency of a body to float or to rise when submerged in a fluid” – BUOYANCY
- 5 Down: NOUN: “traditional Japanese popular drama performed with highly stylized singing and dancing” – KABUKI
- 6 Down: Product purchaser – USER
- 7 Down: NOUN: “the chief magistrate in the republics of Venice and Genoa” – DOGE
- 8 Down: Zach Sherwin’s “Put Me __ Night Time” – ONAT
- 9 Down: Save for later – SETASIDE
- 10 Down: ADJECTIVE: “very excited, enthused, or energized” – JACKED
- 11 Down: Jai ___ (fast-moving sport) – ALAI
- 12 Down: NOUN: “a continuous often plied strand composed of either natural or synthetic fibers or filaments and used in weaving and knitting to form cloth” – YARN
- 13 Down: Unanticipated problem – SNAG
- 21 Down: IDIOM: “used to say that a number, amount, etc., is not exact” – ORSO
- 22 Down: Renaissance Faire instrument – LUTE
- 25 Down: Bel ___ (style of singing) – CANTO
- 26 Down: Mr. Schindler – OSKAR
- 27 Down: Speedy Jeter – DEREK
- 28 Down: Clickable party notice – EVITE
- 29 Down: NOUN: “[one who follows] a religious movement among Black Jamaicans that teaches the eventual redemption of Black people and their return to Africa” – RASTA
- 30 Down: Astrologer Sydney ___ – OMARR
- 31 Down: “This is something ___ trying” – NEWIM
- 32 Down: List-ending abbr. – ETAL
- 33 Down: VERB: “to look at attentively” – VIEW
- 37 Down: Birds may spread it – AVIANFLU
- 38 Down: NOUN: “a small dumpling cooked by running batter through a colander into boiling water” – SPAETZLE
- 40 Down: “That’s ___ know” – ALLI
- 41 Down: Moments of discovery – AHAS
- 43 Down: Lisa of “Friends” – KUDROW
- 44 Down: Brunch items – CREPES
- 47 Down: De ___ (opulent) – LUXE
- 48 Down: ___ Cabot (“Desire Under the Elms” protagonist) – EBEN
- 49 Down: Start to space – AERO
- 50 Down: VERB: “to seize or hold firmly” – GRIP
- 51 Down: NOUN: “a 4-sided enclosure especially when surrounded by buildings” – QUAD
- 52 Down: “I really doubt that” – UMNO
- 53 Down: Actor Armitage – IAIN
- 54 Down: “Is This Thing ___ All?” (Less Than Jake lyric) – ONAT
- 55 Down: “Time and Love” singer Laura – NYRO
The Missing Letter Crossword Answer Image for February 8, 2026
This is a big, ambitious grid that still manages to feel lively rather than exhausting, thanks to a strong mix of idiomatic phrases, pop culture references, and crisp dictionary definitions. The longer entries give the puzzle real presence, while the shorter fills keep everything moving at a steady pace. The observation about the single unused starting letter works nicely as a final quality check and highlights the careful construction behind the scenes. Overall, it’s a rewarding and well balanced solve that feels satisfying to complete, earning 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.
