Daily Crossword — Friday, May 15, 2026

Daily Crossword - Friday, May 15, 2026

Theme: Animals & Pets

Difficulty: Easy

0:00

Across

1.Mount for Cheryl White or Donna Cheek (5)

6.{/Knives Out/} director Johnson (4)

10.F-16's homes: abbr. (4)

14.Why did the deer need to wear braces? Because he had buck ___! (5)

15.Word that implies causality (4)

16.Celtic deity (4)

17.Press mechanism (5)

18.Comedian Cole of {/Black-ish/} (4)

19.Hawk parrots. (4)

20.Pressure abbr. (3)

21.Imperative that opens Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (11)

24.Controversial plane, the F-___ (4)

25.Shelled reptile (6)

26.Pepper named for its resemblance to a tam-o'-shanter (12)

31.Stallion (5)

32.Slip ___ (make an error) (4)

33.1400 hours (3)

36.Morph lead-in (4)

37.Scatter seed anew (5)

39.Baller Anthony, in the NYC tabloids (4)

40.Astronaut's dest. (3)

41.Pulled apart (4)

42.Bowed out (5)

43.Ella Mae Morse tune of '44 (12)

46.War hero/actor who played himself in "To Hell and Back" (6)

49.Like some salad dressings (4)

50.1982 movie about killing a cow? (11)

53.XXIX times XIX (3)

56.Annual Jan. speech, in Twitter hashtags (4)

57.Fisherman with pots (4)

58.Unsafe at Any Speed author (5)

60.Sounds of surprise (4)

61.MDC minus LI (4)

62.Like some of Tolkien's literary influences (5)

63.Town in Korea (4)

64.Tiny adorable beer bottle (4)

65.Russian cars (5)

Down

1.With 31-Down, breaking records, maybe (4)

2.Wine prefixes (4)

3.Nomad of Baluchistan. (4)

4.Jeanne d'Arc, par exemple: Abbr. (3)

5.German immunologist (7)

6.Distinct feature of 501s (6)

7.Angers (4)

8.All excited (4)

9.Hot Hot Heat "Make Up the Breakdown" single (8)

10.Java trumpeter (6)

11.Play footsie, perhaps (5)

12.Essential factor (5)

13.English county where the Battle of Hastings was (5)

22.What blooms do, to bards (3)

23.Northern Albanian: Var. (4)

24.What ___? ("Hi") (4)

26.Japanese-American immigrant (4)

27.Training camps of 1920's: Abbr. (4)

28.Baseball threesome (4)

29.Caravan stops (5)

30.Sgt. or cpl., for example (my dad was in the military so, yes, this is fair game!) (3)

33.African people (4)

34.Commoner (4)

35.Stylish, old style (4)

37.It's around 20° C (8)

38.Suffix with "ranch" (3)

39.Don't Pass ___: Beatles (4)

41.Way around Beantown, to locals (4)

42.Eagle wearer (7)

43.Language that gave us the word "catawba" (6)

44.Not much to look at (6)

45.Scoreboard trio (3)

46.Allegro ___ (very fast) (5)

47.Frightened utterances (5)

48.__ honors (5)

51.Can ___ that? (4)

52.Tiger's mate, once (4)

53.Affordable solutions for better living company (4)

54.Darth's daughter (4)

55.Certain carriers: Abbr. (4)

59.City in Oklahoma (3)

Solving Tools

Across

1.Mount for Cheryl White or Donna Cheek (5)

6.{/Knives Out/} director Johnson (4)

10.F-16's homes: abbr. (4)

14.Why did the deer need to wear braces? Because he had buck ___! (5)

15.Word that implies causality (4)

16.Celtic deity (4)

17.Press mechanism (5)

18.Comedian Cole of {/Black-ish/} (4)

19.Hawk parrots. (4)

20.Pressure abbr. (3)

21.Imperative that opens Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!" (11)

24.Controversial plane, the F-___ (4)

25.Shelled reptile (6)

26.Pepper named for its resemblance to a tam-o'-shanter (12)

31.Stallion (5)

32.Slip ___ (make an error) (4)

33.1400 hours (3)

36.Morph lead-in (4)

37.Scatter seed anew (5)

39.Baller Anthony, in the NYC tabloids (4)

40.Astronaut's dest. (3)

41.Pulled apart (4)

42.Bowed out (5)

43.Ella Mae Morse tune of '44 (12)

46.War hero/actor who played himself in "To Hell and Back" (6)

49.Like some salad dressings (4)

50.1982 movie about killing a cow? (11)

53.XXIX times XIX (3)

56.Annual Jan. speech, in Twitter hashtags (4)

57.Fisherman with pots (4)

58.Unsafe at Any Speed author (5)

60.Sounds of surprise (4)

61.MDC minus LI (4)

62.Like some of Tolkien's literary influences (5)

63.Town in Korea (4)

64.Tiny adorable beer bottle (4)

65.Russian cars (5)

Down

1.With 31-Down, breaking records, maybe (4)

2.Wine prefixes (4)

3.Nomad of Baluchistan. (4)

4.Jeanne d'Arc, par exemple: Abbr. (3)

5.German immunologist (7)

6.Distinct feature of 501s (6)

7.Angers (4)

8.All excited (4)

9.Hot Hot Heat "Make Up the Breakdown" single (8)

10.Java trumpeter (6)

11.Play footsie, perhaps (5)

12.Essential factor (5)

13.English county where the Battle of Hastings was (5)

22.What blooms do, to bards (3)

23.Northern Albanian: Var. (4)

24.What ___? ("Hi") (4)

26.Japanese-American immigrant (4)

27.Training camps of 1920's: Abbr. (4)

28.Baseball threesome (4)

29.Caravan stops (5)

30.Sgt. or cpl., for example (my dad was in the military so, yes, this is fair game!) (3)

33.African people (4)

34.Commoner (4)

35.Stylish, old style (4)

37.It's around 20° C (8)

38.Suffix with "ranch" (3)

39.Don't Pass ___: Beatles (4)

41.Way around Beantown, to locals (4)

42.Eagle wearer (7)

43.Language that gave us the word "catawba" (6)

44.Not much to look at (6)

45.Scoreboard trio (3)

46.Allegro ___ (very fast) (5)

47.Frightened utterances (5)

48.__ honors (5)

51.Can ___ that? (4)

52.Tiger's mate, once (4)

53.Affordable solutions for better living company (4)

54.Darth's daughter (4)

55.Certain carriers: Abbr. (4)

59.City in Oklahoma (3)

Solving Tools

About This Animals & Pets Crossword

Today's crossword puzzle from Friday, May 15, 2026 features a Animals & Pets theme with 78 words (37 across, 41 down).

Go wild with clues about domestic pets, farm animals, wildlife, and creatures from every corner of the animal kingdom.

Easy Difficulty (2 stars):

This 2-star puzzle offers a gentle introduction to crossword solving with straightforward clues and common vocabulary. Perfect for beginners or a relaxing challenge.

May 2026 Crossword Archive

This Animals & Pets crossword puzzle was published on Friday, May 15, 2026 as part of our daily crossword series. Each day brings a new theme and fresh challenges for crossword enthusiasts.

Puzzle Statistics:

• Grid size: 15x15
• Total words: 78
• Across clues: 37
• Down clues: 41
• Theme: Animals & Pets

Browse More May Puzzles

Solving Animals & Pets Puzzles

Animals & Pets themed crosswords offer unique challenges and vocabulary. Here are some strategies for success:

• Look for theme-related words that might span multiple answers
• Consider specialized vocabulary common to animals & pets
• Use crossing letters to confirm unfamiliar terms
• Think about synonyms and alternative meanings within the theme

This easy difficulty puzzle requires basic knowledge and solving techniques. Take your time and enjoy the challenge!

More Daily Puzzles

Love Animals & Pets crosswords? We publish new themed puzzles daily with varying difficulty levels to challenge solvers of all skill levels.

Find Similar Puzzles:

• Browse our complete puzzle archive
• Filter by theme to find more Animals & Pets puzzles
• Try different difficulty levels to match your skill
• Return daily for fresh challenges

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Daily Crossword — Friday, May 15, 2026