The New York Times Crossword · 17-Across · 10 letters
Changes in form, but not in essence The New York Times Crossword clue
Editorially reviewed October 3, 2026
Answer · 10 letters
SUBLIMATES
The clue describes a change in outward form without a change in what the substance is. In chemistry, a solid that SUBLIMATES goes straight to gas without becoming liquid first. The ten-letter verb matches 'changes'; dry ice, solid carbon dioxide, is a familiar example.
Different crossing letters? Check another fit →Identify the specific physical change
Sublimation is not just any transformation: a solid becomes a gas directly, bypassing the liquid phase. Chemistry LibreTexts gives dry ice as an example of solid carbon dioxide changing into gaseous carbon dioxide.
Read 'essence' as chemical identity
The same carbon dioxide is present before and after that phase change; the clue contrasts state with composition, not one chemical substance turning into another. 'Changes' acts as a singular verb, so SUBLIMATES supplies the matching ten-letter form rather than the noun SUBLIMATION.
References behind this explanation
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Where this clue appeared
17-Across in The New York Times Crossword puzzle for October 3, 2026.
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