Playful in tone

Latest answer — July 26, 2025

5 Across

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Saturday, July 26, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Pop singer Rexha
  2. 5Playful in tone
  3. 9Group that got Sweden its first Eurovision win
  4. 13Sautéing option with a high smoke point
  5. 16Home, in slang
  6. 17Poisonous plant rumored to have killed the emperor Augustus
  7. 18Word with hot or double
  8. 19Starting to move
  9. 20What one reads, watches and listens to, collectively
  10. 22Dictionaries have many of these: Abbr.
  11. 24Underappreciated
  12. 25Lots and lots
  13. 29Enough
  14. 31Squash, e.g.
  15. 32Period coinciding with the growth of the internet
  16. 35Chicken ___ king
  17. 36When you're in it, you're in hot water
  18. 37Sch. that's home to the Mountaineers
  19. 38Beast of burden
  20. 40Peeps at
  21. 41"Come in!"
  22. 42Leans toward
  23. 44Alternative to a bow
  24. 47Uppermost limit
  25. 48Has only the best intentions
  26. 51Feature of many a handbag
  27. 55Running, but not moving
  28. 56Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan, to an economist
  29. 58Eye of the storm
  30. 59Plays dice with God, so to speak
  31. 60Things on rings
  32. 61Casual hangout
  33. 62Composer Satie

Down

  1. 1Rum-soaked cake
  2. 2Times to look forward
  3. 3Leave quickly
  4. 4Overshadow
  5. 5Button next to a suggested contact, maybe
  6. 6Quarters
  7. 7Possible indicator of construction ahead
  8. 8Rishi Sunak was the first one to become a British prime minister
  9. 9Play the fool
  10. 10Smarts
  11. 11They separate hands and handlebars
  12. 12Give some immoral support, perhaps?
  13. 14"This is sooo frustrating!"
  14. 15Sprawled out, say
  15. 21"Same here!"
  16. 23Street racer, usually
  17. 25Billing line
  18. 26"Well, as it happens ..."
  19. 27Sites of mutations on chromosomes
  20. 28Flummox
  21. 30Denizens of the Great Victoria Desert
  22. 31Go like :O
  23. 33Government policy bigwig
  24. 34___ Türeci, physician/scientist who co-founded BioNTech
  25. 36Lawn recreation with a portmanteau name
  26. 39Germs of ideas
  27. 40Possible topic for a couples therapist
  28. 43"Get your ___ first and then you can distort them as much as you please": Mark Twain
  29. 45Pop flies?
  30. 46Acceptances
  31. 48Exploit over time
  32. 49Common guacamole ingredient
  33. 50Goes around, in a way
  34. 52Vegan alternative to gelatin
  35. 53___ Institute, home to the Carl Sagan Center
  36. 54Avenue for early learning, in brief
  37. 57Unspecified term in a sequence

The answer to “Playful in tone” in the New York Times crossword is ARCH — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 26, 2025, a Saturday puzzle, at 5-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Playful in tone” answer

ARCH (4 letters)

Reveal the solution one letter at a time with the tiles above if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Just want it outright? The answer is ARCH.

Why the answer is ARCH

ARCH is the 4-letter solution that fits "Playful in tone" in the NYT Crossword crossword on July 26, 2025 (5-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ARCH mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of ARCH is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a curved symmetrical structure spanning an opening and typically supporting the weight of a bridge, roof, or wall above it

When else has “Playful in tone” appeared?

New York Times reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

July 26, 2025 (most recent) → ARCH. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Playful in tone”?

The answer is ARCH, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on July 26, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Playful in tone”?

4 letters: ARCH.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on July 26, 2025 (a Saturday puzzle), at 5-Across.

Can “Playful in tone” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of this day's NYT Crossword answers?

The full grid for July 26, 2025 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.

New York Times Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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