NYT Crossword Answers - May 16

By Byron Walden

U
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Across

  1. 1Modern "go-to's"URLS
  2. 5Curtain for silhouetting on stageSCRIM
  3. 10Bird on the South Carolina state quarterWREN
  4. 14Capote or chesterfieldCOAT
  5. 15Emulates E.T., in a wayPHONESHOME
  6. 17Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariotLUNA
  7. 18Precious self-referenceLITTLEOLME
  8. 19Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024)ANDYKIM
  9. 21Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia)WATTLED
  10. 22Matches with forensicsDEBATECONTESTS
  11. 24Occasions to relax and rechargeMEDAYS
  12. 25Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15)HAGEL
  13. 26Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit cardAMOCO
  14. 27Aid in making salsaDICER
  15. 28Operculum, e.g.LID
  16. 31Capital of GreenlandNUUK
  17. 32They're hard to pull offFEATS
  18. 33Spa service, in briefMANI
  19. 34Up to snuff, facetiouslyEPT
  20. 35TricklesSEEPS
  21. 36Cup holdersZARFS
  22. 37Many a Porsche 911COUPE
  23. 38Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's saidVIRGOS
  24. 39Don't start with me!SECONDSTRINGER
  25. 43Difficult effortTRAVAIL
  26. 44Cut outEXCISED
  27. 46Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte"RIVERSEINE
  28. 48Cold-smoked loxNOVA
  29. 497 up, perhapsEVENSTEVEN
  30. 50Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and SomalilandADEN
  31. 51Vanilla unitsPODS
  32. 52SpoutsSPEWS
  33. 53RompLARK

Down

  1. 1Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" -- and in real lifeUCLA
  2. 2Cattle callROUNDEMUP
  3. 3Went wide or long, as a tennis ballLANDEDOUT
  4. 4"No closer!"STAYBACK
  5. 5Takes offSPLITS
  6. 6Wind pipe?CHIME
  7. 7BlightROT
  8. 8Getting a break on Broadway?INTWOACTS
  9. 9MedleysMELANGES
  10. 10Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever"WHOTEL
  11. 11Triumphs smoothlyROLLS
  12. 12___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist)EMMET
  13. 13"What this country ___ ..."NEEDS
  14. 16Certain volleyballerSETTER
  15. 20DeckKAYO
  16. 23Once-popular terra-cotta figurineCHIAPET
  17. 24Trigger hairMANE
  18. 27State in which Gulliver is discovered by the LilliputiansDEEPSLEEP
  19. 28Combo meal upgradeLARGESODA
  20. 29Going back agesINFOREVER
  21. 30___ trackDISS
  22. 32Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef?FEUDISTS
  23. 33BorderlineMARGINAL
  24. 35Echolocation systemsSONARS
  25. 36Element between copper and gallium on the periodic tableZINC
  26. 37Spelling combinations?COVENS
  27. 38They're concerned with feeding kitsVIXENS
  28. 39Pharyngeal woeSTREP
  29. 40Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple"ERIVO
  30. 41BuckledCAVED
  31. 42Extend, in a wayRENEW
  32. 45Chilly and dampDANK
  33. 47"___ noticed"IVE

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Modern "go-to's" — Answer: URLS
  2. 5. Curtain for silhouetting on stage — Answer: SCRIM
  3. 10. Bird on the South Carolina state quarter — Answer: WREN
  4. 14. Capote or chesterfield — Answer: COAT
  5. 15. Emulates E.T., in a way — Answer: PHONESHOME
  6. 17. Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariot — Answer: LUNA
  7. 18. Precious self-reference — Answer: LITTLEOLME
  8. 19. Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024) — Answer: ANDYKIM
  9. 21. Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia) — Answer: WATTLED
  10. 22. Matches with forensics — Answer: DEBATECONTESTS
  11. 24. Occasions to relax and recharge — Answer: MEDAYS
  12. 25. Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15) — Answer: HAGEL
  13. 26. Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit card — Answer: AMOCO
  14. 27. Aid in making salsa — Answer: DICER
  15. 28. Operculum, e.g. — Answer: LID
  16. 31. Capital of Greenland — Answer: NUUK
  17. 32. They're hard to pull off — Answer: FEATS
  18. 33. Spa service, in brief — Answer: MANI
  19. 34. Up to snuff, facetiously — Answer: EPT
  20. 35. Trickles — Answer: SEEPS
  21. 36. Cup holders — Answer: ZARFS
  22. 37. Many a Porsche 911 — Answer: COUPE
  23. 38. Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's said — Answer: VIRGOS
  24. 39. Don't start with me! — Answer: SECONDSTRINGER
  25. 43. Difficult effort — Answer: TRAVAIL
  26. 44. Cut out — Answer: EXCISED
  27. 46. Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" — Answer: RIVERSEINE
  28. 48. Cold-smoked lox — Answer: NOVA
  29. 49. 7 up, perhaps — Answer: EVENSTEVEN
  30. 50. Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and Somaliland — Answer: ADEN
  31. 51. Vanilla units — Answer: PODS
  32. 52. Spouts — Answer: SPEWS
  33. 53. Romp — Answer: LARK

Down

  1. 1. Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" -- and in real life — Answer: UCLA
  2. 2. Cattle call — Answer: ROUNDEMUP
  3. 3. Went wide or long, as a tennis ball — Answer: LANDEDOUT
  4. 4. "No closer!" — Answer: STAYBACK
  5. 5. Takes off — Answer: SPLITS
  6. 6. Wind pipe? — Answer: CHIME
  7. 7. Blight — Answer: ROT
  8. 8. Getting a break on Broadway? — Answer: INTWOACTS
  9. 9. Medleys — Answer: MELANGES
  10. 10. Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever" — Answer: WHOTEL
  11. 11. Triumphs smoothly — Answer: ROLLS
  12. 12. ___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist) — Answer: EMMET
  13. 13. "What this country ___ ..." — Answer: NEEDS
  14. 16. Certain volleyballer — Answer: SETTER
  15. 20. Deck — Answer: KAYO
  16. 23. Once-popular terra-cotta figurine — Answer: CHIAPET
  17. 24. Trigger hair — Answer: MANE
  18. 27. State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians — Answer: DEEPSLEEP
  19. 28. Combo meal upgrade — Answer: LARGESODA
  20. 29. Going back ages — Answer: INFOREVER
  21. 30. ___ track — Answer: DISS
  22. 32. Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef? — Answer: FEUDISTS
  23. 33. Borderline — Answer: MARGINAL
  24. 35. Echolocation systems — Answer: SONARS
  25. 36. Element between copper and gallium on the periodic table — Answer: ZINC
  26. 37. Spelling combinations? — Answer: COVENS
  27. 38. They're concerned with feeding kits — Answer: VIXENS
  28. 39. Pharyngeal woe — Answer: STREP
  29. 40. Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple" — Answer: ERIVO
  30. 41. Buckled — Answer: CAVED
  31. 42. Extend, in a way — Answer: RENEW
  32. 45. Chilly and damp — Answer: DANK
  33. 47. "___ noticed" — Answer: IVE

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

NYT Crossword 15 May 2026NYT Crossword 14 May 2026NYT Crossword 13 May 2026NYT Crossword 12 May 2026NYT Crossword 11 May 2026NYT Crossword 10 May 2026NYT Crossword 9 May 2026

Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Saturday, May 16, 2026 — every solution for that day's 15×15 (21×21 on Sunday) puzzle, listed at the top of this page. Whether you're catching up on a puzzle you missed, settling a “what was the answer on May 16?” question, or checking a grid you finished that day, the complete clue-by-clue solution is right here. Looking for today's puzzle instead? Head to our live NYT Crossword answers page.

NYT Crossword answers for May 16, 2026

The full solution for the May 16 NYT Crossword is shown above, laid out clue by clue — every Across answer followed by every Down answer, exactly as that day's grid read. Each answer is listed separately, so you can check just the clue you were stuck on and leave the rest. This is the confirmed grid as published on Saturday, May 16.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for May 16, 2026

Every clue from the May 16 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Modern "go-to's"URLS
5Curtain for silhouetting on stageSCRIM
10Bird on the South Carolina state quarterWREN
14Capote or chesterfieldCOAT
15Emulates E.T., in a wayPHONESHOME
17Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariotLUNA
18Precious self-referenceLITTLEOLME
19Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024)ANDYKIM
21Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia)WATTLED
22Matches with forensicsDEBATECONTESTS
24Occasions to relax and rechargeMEDAYS
25Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15)HAGEL
26Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit cardAMOCO
27Aid in making salsaDICER
28Operculum, e.g.LID
31Capital of GreenlandNUUK
32They're hard to pull offFEATS
33Spa service, in briefMANI
34Up to snuff, facetiouslyEPT
35TricklesSEEPS
36Cup holdersZARFS
37Many a Porsche 911COUPE
38Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's saidVIRGOS
39Don't start with me!SECONDSTRINGER
43Difficult effortTRAVAIL
44Cut outEXCISED
46Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte"RIVERSEINE
48Cold-smoked loxNOVA
497 up, perhapsEVENSTEVEN
50Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and SomalilandADEN
51Vanilla unitsPODS
52SpoutsSPEWS
53RompLARK

Down

#ClueAnswer
1Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" -- and in real lifeUCLA
2Cattle callROUNDEMUP
3Went wide or long, as a tennis ballLANDEDOUT
4"No closer!"STAYBACK
5Takes offSPLITS
6Wind pipe?CHIME
7BlightROT
8Getting a break on Broadway?INTWOACTS
9MedleysMELANGES
10Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever"WHOTEL
11Triumphs smoothlyROLLS
12___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist)EMMET
13"What this country ___ ..."NEEDS
16Certain volleyballerSETTER
20DeckKAYO
23Once-popular terra-cotta figurineCHIAPET
24Trigger hairMANE
27State in which Gulliver is discovered by the LilliputiansDEEPSLEEP
28Combo meal upgradeLARGESODA
29Going back agesINFOREVER
30___ trackDISS
32Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef?FEUDISTS
33BorderlineMARGINAL
35Echolocation systemsSONARS
36Element between copper and gallium on the periodic tableZINC
37Spelling combinations?COVENS
38They're concerned with feeding kitsVIXENS
39Pharyngeal woeSTREP
40Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple"ERIVO
41BuckledCAVED
42Extend, in a wayRENEW
45Chilly and dampDANK
47"___ noticed"IVE

Hints for the May 16 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The May 16 puzzle fell on a Saturday, and with the New York Times crossword that matters: the grid gets harder as the week goes on, from an easy Monday to a fiendish Saturday, with a large themed puzzle on Sunday. So a Saturday grid tells you how much misdirection to expect — and if a clue that day seemed to make no sense, the weekday is usually the reason. Use the hints for the trickiest clues, then reveal the answers above only if you need them.

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Frequently asked questions

What were the NYT Crossword answers on May 16, 2026?

Every answer for the Saturday, May 16, 2026 NYT Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

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