This clue appeared in the NYT Crossword on Thursday, February 5, 2026 (24 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.
How to read this clue
The question mark warns of wordplay. Expect a pun or a second meaning rather than a straight definition.
Answer length: 4 squares
First letter
F _ _ _
First and last letters
F _ _ N
Show the answer
About the answer
FERN as a word: Any of a group of some twenty thousand species of vascular plants classified in the division Pteridophyta that lack seeds and reproduce by shedding spores to...; A female given name.
FERN has been an answer 3 times in the NYT Crossword and Mini since February 5, 2026.
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