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 12, 2026.

The Missing Letter Answers - 1

The Missing Letter Answers Today: January 12, 2026

The Missing Letter is: Y

By solving the clues provided, the letter Y is the only one not utilised as a starting letter for an answer.

  • 1 Across: NOUN: “a small gift or decorative item given out at a party” – FAVOR

  • 6 Across: Crane’s arm – JIB

  • 9 Across: VERB: “to display conspicuously or abundantly” – EXUDE

  • 10 Across: NOUN: “an official in a sport who rules on plays” – UMP

  • 11 Across: NOUN: “any of various typically sweet gourds…usually eaten raw as fruits” – MELON

  • 12 Across: They guard generals (abbr.) – MPS

  • 13 Across: NOUN: “a dry colorless brandy” – GRAPPA

  • 15 Across: NOUN: “popular music of Jamaican origin that combines elements of traditional Caribbean rhythms and jazz” – SKA

  • 17 Across: NOUN: “a line for leading or restraining an animal” – LEASH

  • 19 Across: Tough – HARD

  • 21 Across: Part of SATB – LOG

  • 22 Across: Differently-___ – ABLED

  • 24 Across: Cabin component – LOG

  • 25 Across: GEOGRAPHICAL NAME: “city and capital of Mali on the Niger River population 1,016,167” – BAMAKO

  • 27 Across: Used an ottoman – SAT

  • 28 Across: VERB: “to vacillate irresolutely between choices” – WAVER

  • 31 Across: Ring king – ALI

  • 32 Across: “___ Breath You Take” – EVERY

  • 33 Across: VERB: “be physically or mentally able to” – CAN

  • 34 Across: Military nickname – SARGE

  • 1 Down: Like “die” nouns in German (abbr.) – FEM

  • 2 Down: NOUN: “(slang): any of several musical instruments (such as a guitar or a saxophone)” – AXE

  • 3 Down: NOUN: “the nonclassical [language] of ancient Rome including the speech of plebeians and the informal speech of the educated established by comparative evidence as the chief source of the Romance languages” – VULGARLATIN

  • 4 Down: NOUN: “a quality of something that stimulates the olfactory organ” – ODOR

  • 5 Down: ADJECTIVE: “of, relating to, involving, or located in the region of the kidneys” – RENAL

  • 6 Down: IDIOM: “to angrily criticize or shout at (someone)” – JUMPALLOVER

  • 7 Down: NOUN: “the thick application of a pigment to a canvas or panel in painting” – IMPASTO

  • 8 Down: Some gas stations – BPS

  • 14 Down: NOUN: “a variable annual Eurasian vine (Lathyrus oleraceus) of the legume family that is cultivated especially for its rounded smooth or wrinkled edible protein-rich seeds” – PEA

  • 15 Down: ___ cha chicken – SHA

  • 16 Down: NOUN: “a medieval and modern system of Jewish theosophy, mysticism, and thaumaturgy marked by belief in creation through emanation and a cipher method of interpreting Scripture” – KABBALA

  • 18 Down: VERB: “to take in excess of one’s due” – HOG

  • 20 Down: GOP member’s opponent, often – DEM

  • 23 Down: BIOGRAPHICAL NAME: “Charles Gates 1865–1951 American lawyer and financier; vice president of U.S. (1925–29)” – DAWES

  • 26 Down: Pepper family plant – KAVA

  • 27 Down: ___ bunt (baseball tactic) – SAC

  • 29 Down: Rowing machine unit – ERG

  • 30 Down: Marble ___ (bread variety) – RYE

The Missing Letter Crossword Answer Image for January 12, 2026 - 2

This set of clues had a really fun mix of everyday vocabulary and deeper dictionary pulls, which kept the solve feeling lively from start to finish. The shorter entries gave quick traction early, while the longer, more specialized definitions (especially the language and mysticism ones) added a satisfying moment without feeling unfair. I also liked how the theme observation about starting letters quietly nudged you to scan your fills more carefully, adding a clever layer beyond just clue solving. Overall, the puzzle felt balanced, varied, and rewarding, with just enough challenge to make the breakthroughs feel earned, so I’d give it 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 .