This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, January 8, 2026 (50 Down). The answer is hidden below until you want it. Thursday puzzles often have a trick, such as a rebus (several letters in one square) or answers that bend the rules.
Answer length: 5 squares
First letter
V _ _ _ _
First and last letters
V _ _ _ A
Show the answer
About the answer
VIOLA as a word: A stringed instrument of the violin family, somewhat larger than a violin, played under the chin, and having a deeper tone; A person who plays the viola.
VIOLA has been an answer 2 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since December 14, 2025.
Other clues with the same answer
More clues from this puzzle
- Thumbs-up votes (41 Down)
- PlayStation alternatives (46 Down)
- So-called "father of the American cartoon" (48 Down)
- Like the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey (49 Down)
- Sir ___ Hercules John (51 Down)
- Indigenous people at the center of 2023's "Killers of the Flower Moon" (52 Down)
- ___ green (53 Down)
- Layer (57 Down)
Play today's NYT Crossword at The New York Times
All crossword clues · Today's NYT Crossword answers · Today's Mini answers