NYT Midi Crossword · 5-Down · 3 letters
"This clue does not contain the letters E, L or I," e.g. NYT Midi Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 12, 2026
Answer · 3 letters
LIE
LIE classifies the quoted statement as untrue. The word clue already contains L and E, and This contains I, even before the statement explicitly lists those letters. The claim fails a direct reading of its own text.
Different crossing letters? Check another fit →You can test the claim without any outside facts
Look at clue: it contains L and E. Look at This: it contains I. The quoted sentence also prints E, L and I explicitly, so it supplies several counterexamples to its own claim. Capitalization does not make a lowercase letter a different alphabet letter.
A false claim, not the classic liar paradox
This sentence makes a checkable claim about its letters. Once you see those letters, the claim is simply false; you do not have to solve a circular statement such as this sentence is false. E.g. asks for the category of the quoted statement, giving the three-letter noun LIE.
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Where this clue appeared
5-Down in NYT Midi Crossword puzzle for September 12, 2026.
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