What's hard to read in a text

Latest answer — August 08, 2025

49 Down

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NYT Crossword

This clue's Friday, August 08, 2025 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Who wrote in an 1852 novel "Any mind that is capable of a real sorrow is capable of good"
  2. 6Stick around camp?
  3. 14Synthetic fabric sometimes called "elastane"
  4. 15Competition conducted in rounds over rounds
  5. 16Microscope component
  6. 17Establishments with many green rooms
  7. 18"Aw, that's so nice of you!"
  8. 20Toadlike
  9. 21Stuff
  10. 22Some fridges
  11. 23Way to the left?
  12. 24Rum-soaked cake
  13. 26Frameable frame
  14. 27Anytown, ___
  15. 30Many an I.R.S. public service announcement
  16. 33Heart
  17. 34Reassuring words when help is needed
  18. 36Means of defense for an elephant
  19. 37"That would make the most sense to me"
  20. 38Some residents: Abbr.
  21. 39Blubber
  22. 40Like Antarctica, notably
  23. 41Disaccustom
  24. 43Their tracks diffract light into rainbows
  25. 44Tricky situation
  26. 48Eurasian ermine
  27. 50Surfaces for making cookies
  28. 52Guiding principle, metaphorically
  29. 542023 title role for Timothée Chalamet
  30. 55Events akin to streaks
  31. 56Opposite of entropy
  32. 57"Don't give up"
  33. 58Corset supports

Down

  1. 1Tedious trials
  2. 2Ambitious and uncompromising, say
  3. 3The planets, since 2006
  4. 4Follow to the letter?
  5. 5Grocery pricing term
  6. 6Sailing maneuvers
  7. 7Freudian drive to survive
  8. 8High degree
  9. 9Part of a masonry kit
  10. 10Breads that may be used as scoops
  11. 11Nullifies
  12. 12Pleasing cadence
  13. 13"Don't stress yourself"
  14. 15Hybrid feline whose coat may feature rosettes
  15. 19One of two official languages of Kosovo
  16. 23Caregiver known as a "nutrix" in ancient Rome
  17. 25Org. with a serpent in its logo
  18. 26Warriors for a cause
  19. 28Bouts held in a dohyo
  20. 29Medieval warrior's weapon
  21. 30Turned
  22. 31#@$% and &?*!, by implication
  23. 32Sister of Helios
  24. 33Table tennis or beach volleyball
  25. 34Abbr. on a pay stub
  26. 35Letters said out of embarrassment
  27. 39Pops
  28. 42Face-plant, so to speak
  29. 43Iris ___, author of "The Chinese in America"
  30. 45Animal that's mostly white, helping it hide in its natural habitat
  31. 46Pitch-perfect
  32. 47Alexis, Feodor and Peter, among others
  33. 48Slight
  34. 49What's hard to read in a text
  35. 50Floor
  36. 51Rare bills and dice rolls
  37. 53Sign of a sellout

The answer to “What's hard to read in a text” in the New York Times crossword is TONE — a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 8, 2025, a Friday puzzle, at 49-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.

“What's hard to read in a text” answer

TONE (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 TONE.

Why the answer is TONE

TONE is the 4-letter solution that fits "What's hard to read in a text" in the NYT Crossword crossword on August 8, 2025 (49-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does TONE mean?

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

(noun)

  • a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength
  • the general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc.
  • a basic interval in classical Western music, equal to two semitones and separating, for example, the first and second notes of an ordinary scale (such as C and D, or E and F sharp); a major second

When else has “What's hard to read in a text” 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.

August 8, 2025 (most recent) → TONE. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “What's hard to read in a text”?

The answer is TONE, a 4-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times crossword on August 8, 2025.

How many letters is the answer to “What's hard to read in a text”?

4 letters: TONE.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times crossword on August 8, 2025 (a Friday puzzle), at 49-Down.

Can “What's hard to read in a text” 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 August 8, 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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