NYT Crossword
Saturday, April 18, 2026
By Jesse Cohn
Tap a square to reveal a letter.
Or reveal one clue at a time with the Hint and Answer buttons below.
NYT Crossword Clues
Across
Down
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. "The Jeffersons" or "The Simpsons," notably — Answer: SPINOFF
- 8. Team with the mascot Big Al, familiarly — Answer: BAMA
- 12. In time — Answer: SOONERORLATER
- 14. Dish purportedly invented in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo neighborhood — Answer: CALIFORNIAROLL
- 15. New York's ___ Valley — Answer: HUDSON
- 16. Thawing — Answer: DETENTE
- 17. Treat — Answer: DOCTOR
- 18. New outfit or accessory for a character, in video game-speak — Answer: MOD
- 19. Things that shouldn't be hidden — Answer: FEES
- 20. Non-eco-friendly refrigerant — Answer: FREON
- 21. Term in the bedroom, maybe — Answer: SAFEWORD
- 23. Unite — Answer: WED
- 24. Two-pronged — Answer: DUAL
- 26. Metros in the 1990s — Answer: GEOS
- 27. "Wait just a sec" — Answer: HANGTIGHT
- 29. Cowboy's friend, informally — Answer: PARD
- 30. Name that spiked in popularity following a 2013 Disney movie — Answer: ELSA
- 31. Finalized — Answer: SET
- 34. "You've got nothing to worry about" — Answer: RESTEASY
- 36. All-time scoring leader for the Miami Heat, familiarly — Answer: DWADE
- 38. Routine surfaces — Answer: MATS
- 39. Browns, on a scoreboard — Answer: CLE
- 40. Mathematics writer Gardner — Answer: MARTIN
- 41. Words of endorsement — Answer: IMFORIT
- 43. Arrived — Answer: MADEIT
- 44. Make-believe sorrow — Answer: CROCODILETEARS
- 46. Cause of amusement to a vet, maybe — Answer: ROOKIEMISTAKE
- 47. Daredevil's calculation — Answer: ODDS
- 48. Some fairy tale characters — Answer: DAMSELS
Down
- 1. Did business with, in a way — Answer: SOLDTO
- 2. Blowgun projectile — Answer: POISONDART
- 3. Words before "a penny" or "a treat" — Answer: INFOR
- 4. Fifth-most abundant element in the universe — Answer: NEON
- 5. Lieutenant in "Catch-22" — Answer: ORR
- 6. Into — Answer: FONDOF
- 7. Breakfast dish that might go over well? — Answer: FRIEDEGGS
- 8. How people get into a swimming pool, typically — Answer: BAREFOOT
- 9. Yom Kippur observers — Answer: ATONERS
- 10. Like the cheese in fondue — Answer: MELTED
- 11. Backdrop for many van Gogh paintings — Answer: ARLES
- 12. Blitzed — Answer: SAUCED
- 13. ___ pull-downs (exercise) — Answer: LAT
- 14. Item in a list on the fridge, maybe — Answer: CHORE
- 17. Texas air hub, for short — Answer: DFW
- 18. Silky-haired toy — Answer: MALTESE
- 21. Start to give — Answer: SAG
- 22. "Hey, no backing out now!" — Answer: WEHADADEAL
- 25. Still waffling — Answer: UNDECIDED
- 27. Relatives of ottomans — Answer: HASSOCKS
- 28. Texter's affectionate sign-off — Answer: ILY
- 29. It's not fit for human consumption — Answer: PETFOOD
- 31. Cutting stuff — Answer: SATIRE
- 32. Cuts a line? — Answer: EDITS
- 33. It takes two hands to show — Answer: TEN
- 34. Musketeer's tool — Answer: RAMROD
- 35. Nissan model — Answer: ALTIMA
- 37. Brings about, as havoc — Answer: WREAKS
- 38. Less than milli-, more than nano- — Answer: MICRO
- 40. Paint option — Answer: MATTE
- 42. Metric for a venture capitalist, in brief — Answer: ROI
- 43. Play (with) — Answer: MESS
- 45. Calc. calculation — Answer: LIM
The answer to “Like the cheese in fondue” in the New York Times crossword is MELTED — a 6-letter word. This clue ran in the New York Times crossword on April 18, 2026, a Saturday puzzle, at 10-Down. If it's the entry standing between you and a clean grid, that's the word you need — and below you'll find why it fits, plus links to the day's other clues if more than one square is giving you trouble.
“Like the cheese in fondue” answer
MELTED (6 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 MELTED.
Why the answer is MELTED
MELTED is the 6-letter solution that fits "Like the cheese in fondue" in the NYT Crossword crossword on April 18, 2026 (10-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.
When else has “Like the cheese in fondue” 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 before, and what the answer was each time — handy if you landed here from a puzzle on another date.
- April 18, 2026 (this puzzle) → MELTED
- June 22, 2025 → MELTED
More clues from the NYT Crossword on April 18, 2026
Stuck elsewhere in the grid? Here are some of the crossing and nearby clues from the same puzzle — tap any for its answer and explanation.
- Team with the mascot Big Al, familiarly → BAMA
- In time → SOONERORLATER
- Dish purportedly invented in Los Angeles's Little Tokyo neighborhood → CALIFORNIAROLL
- Thawing → DETENTE
- Things that shouldn't be hidden → FEES
- Term in the bedroom, maybe → SAFEWORD
- Yom Kippur observers → ATONERS
- Backdrop for many van Gogh paintings → ARLES
Want every clue in one place? The full New York Times answer list for April 18, 2026 is on that day's grid page, and today's live NYT Crossword answers are always one tap from the today page.
About the NYT Crossword
The New York Times crossword, edited by Will Shortz, is the most famous daily puzzle in the United States. It runs a 15×15 grid Monday through Saturday and a larger 21×21 grid on Sunday, and its difficulty deliberately ramps through the week: Monday is the most approachable, Saturday the toughest, with Thursday often reserved for a trick or twist like rebus squares. This page covers a Saturday puzzle. A straight-definition entry is the kind of solid mid-grid answer that anchors the trickier crossings around it. Because the NYT reuses short, crossing-friendly words regularly, seeing them once makes them easier to spot next time.
Frequently asked questions
What is the answer to “Like the cheese in fondue”?
The answer is MELTED, a 6-letter word. It appeared in the New York Times crossword on April 18, 2026.
How many letters is the answer to “Like the cheese in fondue”?
6 letters: MELTED.
Where did this clue appear?
In the New York Times crossword on April 18, 2026 (a Saturday puzzle), at 10-Down.
Can “Like the cheese in fondue” 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 April 18, 2026 is on the NYT Crossword answers page, with every clue and answer from that puzzle.