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Daily Newsday Crossword

“Didn't try very hard”

The verified answer to the Newsday Crossword clue “Didn't try very hard”, with letter-by-letter analysis and the full puzzle context for the Saturday, February 21, 2026 puzzle.

Published · Down · 10 letters

Hints first

Letters 10
First letter P
Last letter N
P ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? N

A 10-letter down entry from the Saturday puzzle

The Answer

P H O N E D I T I N

The answer to “Didn't try very hard” is PHONEDITIN

Letters 10
Direction Down
Published Feb 21, 2026

Letter analysis: the 10-letter answer

Vowels, consonants, and crossword construction notes
Unique 8 of 10 positions
Vowels 4 40% of word
Consonants 6 non-vowels
First letter P starts with

The clue “Didn't try very hard” appeared in the Newsday Crossword on Saturday, February 21, 2026 as a down entry. The verified answer is PHONEDITIN — a 10-letter word that begins with P and ends with N.

This answer contains 4 vowels and 6 consonants. The Newsday Crossword is published daily by Newsday on Long Island and edited by Stan Newman, whose Saturday Stumper is widely considered one of the toughest mainstream crosswords in print.

Other clues with the answer PHONEDITIN

PHONEDITIN has been used as the answer for these Newsday Crossword clues

More clues from the February 21, 2026 puzzle

Saturday Newsday Crossword
View full puzzle
Hairy situation 4 ℓ · D She's related to Joey 4 ℓ · D Polecat relative 4 ℓ · D British pounds 5 ℓ · D Out of it 10 ℓ · D Crowds to the max 8 ℓ · A Paramount "sister" since 2019 3 ℓ · D Corn holders 5 ℓ · A Jacob's eldest 6 ℓ · D A top-10 written English word 3 ℓ · D It may be melting 3 ℓ · D Performance with finger cymbals 10 ℓ · D Notation after "A new broom sweeps clean" 4 ℓ · D Acknowledgment 6 ℓ · D Alternate ocular inconvenience 4 ℓ · D What many an ornate auditorium is called 6 ℓ · D Exploit self-servingly 6 ℓ · A Much less well-behaved 6 ℓ · D Was cyclical 8 ℓ · A Spot-checked? 6 ℓ · A

Frequently asked questions about “Didn't try very hard”

What is the answer to “Didn't try very hard” in the Newsday Crossword?

The verified answer is PHONEDITIN — a 10-letter word that appeared as a down entry on Saturday, February 21, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Didn't try very hard”?

The answer PHONEDITIN contains 10 letters.

Was “Didn't try very hard” an across or down clue?

This clue ran as a Down entry.

Is this site affiliated with Newsday?

No. This is an independent fan reference site — we are not affiliated with Newsday. The Newsday Crossword is a trademark of its respective owner. We solve and verify each Newsday Crossword puzzle manually before publishing the answer key.

Didn't try very hard — Newsday Crossword Clue Answer | Newsday Crossword Answers