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 8, 2026.
The Missing Letter Answers Today: January 8, 2026
The Missing Letter is: O
By solving the clues provided, the letter O is the only one not utilised as a starting letter for an answer.
1 Across: TRADEMARK: “used for recorded background [songs]” — MUZAK
6 Across: ABBREVIATION: “[sandwich named for its two main ingredients]” — PBJ
9 Across: Take unfair advantage of, as a privilege — ABUSE
10 Across: In the manner of — ALA
11 Across: NOUN: “a proteolytic enzyme of the kidney” — RENIN
12 Across: “Just gimme a ___” — SEC
13 Across: NOUN: “the art of evaluating or analyzing works of art or literature” — CRIT
14 Across: Aficionado — GEEK
15 Across: INTERJECTION: “used typically to express mild apology, surprise, or dismay” — WHOOPS
17 Across: The movie title “No Country for Old Men” is taken from one of his poems — YEATS
18 Across: IDIOM: “very” — EVERSO
20 Across: GEOGRAPHICAL NAME: “river 4160 miles (6693 kilometers) long in eastern Africa flowing from Lake Victoria in Uganda north into the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt” — NILE
21 Across: Shout on a city street — TAXI
25 Across: ABBREVIATION: “federal executive division responsible for enforcing [work] statutes and promoting the general welfare of U.S. wage earners” — DOL
26 Across: NOUN: “a unit of a cryptocurrency” — TOKEN
27 Across: “Telephone Line” band, 1976 — ELO
28 Across: NOUN: “a weapon (such as a cutlass or rapier) with a long blade for cutting or thrusting that is often used as a symbol of honor or authority” — SWORD
29 Across: How rabbits eat carrots — RAW
30 Across: Irritate — ANNOY
1 Down: Anthony or Cohn — MARC
2 Down: PREFIX: “to an extreme or excessive degree” — UBER
3 Down: NOUN: “a member of an Indigenous people of western New Mexico” — ZUNI
4 Down: PHRASE: “in a manner of speaking” — ASITWERE
5 Down: NOUN: “the range of…knowledge” — KEN
6 Down: Evening strolls — PASEOS
7 Down: NOUN: “a short high-pitched sound (as from electronic equipment)…used in place of an obscene or vulgar expletive” — BLEEP
8 Down: NOUN: “a game played with a set of small objects that are tossed, caught, and moved in various figures” — JACKS
14 Down: PHRASE: “to work or act rapidly or efficiently” — GOTOTOWN
16 Down: VERB: “present tense third-person singular of ‘have’” — HAS
17 Down: NOUN: “a color whose hue resembles that of ripe lemons or sunflowers or is that of the portion of the spectrum lying between green and orange” — YELLOW
18 Down: Tail-___ (person in last place) — ENDER
19 Down: NOUN: “a [stringed] musical instrument” — VIOLA
22 Down: “Beautiful” singer, 2008 — AKON
23 Down: COMBINING FORM: “dry” — XERO
24 Down: Midwestern capital city, for short — INDY
26 Down: Government org. at LAX and LGA — TSA
Today’s grid was an intellectual delight, offering a masterclass in varied terminology that kept the solving experience fresh. The vertical anchors were particularly strong, featuring a deep-cut Indigenous culture from New Mexico and the elegant phrasing used to describe the limits of one’s knowledge. While pop-culture references to 70s rock bands and modern airport security provided familiar ground, the inclusion of technical kidney enzymes and specific literary origins for iconic film titles gave the puzzle a true “dictionary-first” edge. The transition from technical biochemistry to the simple way a rabbit eats its snacks created a playful rhythm that made identifying today’s missing letter a satisfying conclusion. I would rate this challenge a 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 .
