Unfortunate situations

Latest answer — October 15, 2025

25 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Wednesday, October 15, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Auto on the autobahn
  2. 4Sign of justice
  3. 9Middling grade
  4. 14Acknowledgment of applause, maybe
  5. 15Lead-up to a ski jump
  6. 16Spots for solar panels
  7. 17Really spectacular drill component?
  8. 19Midwest city known as the "Rubber Capital of the World"
  9. 20___ Root, U.S. secretary of war who received a Nobel Peace Prize
  10. 21Hobbled, in gamer slang
  11. 23Seedy bar
  12. 24Lively kind of saw for cutting intricate shapes?
  13. 28Large catch of fish, say
  14. 30Whole bunch
  15. 31Host Glass of radio's "This American Life"
  16. 32Pecan-chocolate-caramel candy
  17. 34Noted chairman?
  18. 36Truly awesome implement for ensuring stability?
  19. 39"The Master Builder" playwright
  20. 42Launches
  21. 44Word that's often shortened to its middle letter in texts
  22. 45Sister network of Paramount+, for short
  23. 48General Motors subsidiary
  24. 50Ideal instrument for shaping wood surfaces?
  25. 53Always
  26. 55Girlfriends in Madrid
  27. 56Banish
  28. 57Bit of grillmaster's attire
  29. 59Something you might exclaim when talking about 17-, 24-, 36- or 50-Across?
  30. 62Compose
  31. 63Protection
  32. 64Record label for SZA and A$AP Rocky
  33. 65Falls short, say
  34. 66Medium-term govt. security
  35. 67Cerulean expanse

Down

  1. 1Like some briskets and pork ribs, informally
  2. 2"___ Rouge!" (2001 musical film)
  3. 3One who may have stormed the beaches at Normandy, in brief
  4. 4Place
  5. 5___ while
  6. 6"Hang on a sec"
  7. 7Feeling remorse for
  8. 8Tidbit popular in Thai cuisine
  9. 9Artisanal brewers' offerings
  10. 10Lockup
  11. 11Joseph Conrad novel made into a 1965 film starring Peter O'Toole
  12. 12Frequent conspiracy subject
  13. 13Something usually kept private, for short
  14. 18London's underground
  15. 22___ Speed Wagon (vintage vehicle)
  16. 24Protrudes
  17. 25Unfortunate situations
  18. 26Fury
  19. 27Grand old time, in slang
  20. 29Area of greatest danger
  21. 33Llama's head?
  22. 35Description of an online image
  23. 37Kind of collar
  24. 38It's blowing in the wind
  25. 39"___ what ___"
  26. 40"Dude ..."
  27. 41Humorist who describes his stint working as a Macy's Christmas elf in "Santaland Diaries"
  28. 43Hero lifeguards, e.g.
  29. 46Efficiency stat not needed in an E.V.
  30. 47Scratch
  31. 49Secure again, as a door
  32. 51Overact
  33. 52Visibly afraid
  34. 54Race with an anchor
  35. 56Comfort
  36. 57Hole puncher
  37. 58Reason to consider something favorably
  38. 60Long ___
  39. 61Relative of the chickadee

The answer to “Unfortunate situations” in the New York Times crossword is ILLS — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 15, 2025, a Wednesday puzzle, at 25-Down. 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.

“Unfortunate situations” answer

ILLS (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 ILLS.

Why the answer is ILLS

ILLS is the 4-letter solution that fits "Unfortunate situations" in the NYT Crossword crossword on October 15, 2025 (25-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does ILLS mean?

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

(noun)

  • a problem or misfortune

When else has “Unfortunate situations” 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.

October 15, 2025 (most recent) → ILLS. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Unfortunate situations”?

The answer is ILLS, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on October 15, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “Unfortunate situations”?

4 letters: ILLS.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on October 15, 2025 (a Wednesday puzzle), at 25-Down.

Can “Unfortunate situations” 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 October 15, 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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