By Nate Cardin

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Across

  1. 34Rodeo ropeLASSO

Down

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. "Planet of the ___" — Answer: APES. Hint: Think of the classic sci-fi film featuring intelligent primates and a world-shaking twist. 🐒
  2. 5. Wood strip found in many Ikea bed supports — Answer: SLAT. Hint: Think of the narrow plank that helps support a mattress. 🛏️
  3. 9. Take pleasure in — Answer: ENJOY. Hint: To feel happy and satisfied about something is to do this. 😊
  4. 14. Size opposite of mini- — Answer: MAXI. Hint: Think of the prefix that signals something extra-large. 📏
  5. 15. Prepares to throw a dart, say — Answer: AIMS. Hint: Gets ready by lining up the target before letting the dart fly 🎯
  6. 16. Crystal-filled rock — Answer: GEODE. Hint: This ordinary-looking stone hides a dazzling crystal surprise inside, like nature’s tiny treasure chest ✨
  7. 17. Newspaper opinion piece — Answer: OPED. Hint: Look for the short newspaper article where a writer shares a viewpoint. 📰
  8. 18. *Title of a 1990s ABC sitcom and a 1990s New Kids on the Block hit — Answer: STEPBYSTEP. Hint: It’s a phrase meaning “gradually,” shared by a family sitcom and a boy-band hit. 📺
  9. 20. Cereal often found with pretzels in a party snack mix — Answer: RICECHEX. Hint: Think of the crisp, square cereal that adds a light crunch to a bowl of party mix. 🥨
  10. 22. Vertical jumping ability, in basketball lingo — Answer: UPS. Hint: A player with plenty of this can rise high for a dramatic dunk. 🏀
  11. 23. Sheep's cry — Answer: BAA. Hint: Think of the familiar sound made by a woolly farm animal 🐑
  12. 24. "___ to Go!," 2024 Chappell Roan hit sometimes compared to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." — Answer: HOT. Hint: This catchy 2024 pop anthem has a three-letter title and a playful, chant-ready feel reminiscent of a disco classic. 🎶
  13. 25. Attracted to people of any gender, for short — Answer: PAN. Hint: This short identity label describes attraction regardless of gender. 🏳️‍🌈
  14. 28. *Detailed, real-time description of events — Answer: PLAYBYPLAY. Hint: A sports announcer’s moment-by-moment narration is this 🎙️
  15. 33. Shape for a red-and-white striped Christmas candy — Answer: CANE. Hint: Think of the curved shape associated with peppermint holiday treats. 🍬
  16. 34. Rodeo rope — Answer: LASSO. Hint: A cowboy might swing this loop to catch a runaway steer 🤠
  17. 35. Foggy mental state — Answer: HAZE. Hint: A cloudy, unclear feeling in your head. 🌫️
  18. 36. Raisins, when on a celery-and-peanut-butter "log" — Answer: ANTS. Hint: Think of the tiny trailblazers marching across this classic snack 🐜
  19. 37. Wrinkly citrus fruit — Answer: UGLI. Hint: Think of a lumpy citrus hybrid with a teasing nickname based on its appearance. 🍊
  20. 38. "What a shame" — Answer: SOSAD. Hint: A brief expression of sympathy for an unfortunate situation 😔
  21. 39. Riverbank deposit — Answer: SILT. Hint: This fine sediment settles along the edges of a flowing waterway. 🏞️
  22. 40. Prompted, on stage — Answer: CUED. Hint: Given a signal to begin a performance 🎭
  23. 41. Lyft competitor — Answer: UBER. Hint: Think of the ride-hailing app known for its sleek black cars and global reach. 🚗
  24. 42. Zellweger of "Bridget Jones's Diary" — Answer: RENEE. Hint: Think of the actress who played the lovable, diary-keeping Brit Bridget. 🎬
  25. 43. Joint sometimes bent in protest — Answer: KNEE. Hint: This joint may bend dramatically when you refuse to comply. ✊
  26. 44. *How to tackle big writing projects, per a seminal Anne Lamott book — Answer: BIRDBYBIRD. Hint: Take on an overwhelming project one small, manageable piece at a time. 📝
  27. 46. Go on and on and on — Answer: YAP. Hint: Talk endlessly about little of importance, and you’re doing this. 🗣️
  28. 47. LAX posting — Answer: ETA. Hint: It tells you when a flight is expected to arrive. ✈️
  29. 48. Frito-___ — Answer: LAY. Hint: Think of the familiar corn-chip brand that completes this snack aisle favorite. 🥔
  30. 49. Not just some or most — Answer: ALL. Hint: This means the complete group, with nobody left out. 🌐
  31. 50. Got off the ground, as a start-up company — Answer: LAUNCHED. Hint: Took its first flight into the business world 🚀
  32. 55. *Many an off-road vehicle ... or a literal description of the answer to each asterisked clue (including this one!) — Answer: FOURBYFOUR. Hint: Picture a sturdy off-road vehicle whose name sounds like a multiplication fact with matching factors. 🚙
  33. 59. Otherworldly glow — Answer: AURA. Hint: Think of the subtle radiance often imagined around a person or sacred place. ✨
  34. 60. It means slow (not big!) in music — Answer: LARGO. Hint: In musical tempo markings, this tells performers to take their time rather than play quickly. 🎵
  35. 61. "Well, ___ that special!" — Answer: ISNT. Hint: A sarcastic reaction suggesting that something is hardly remarkable. 🙃
  36. 62. Poetry competition — Answer: SLAM. Hint: Think of an energetic spoken-word showdown where poets perform for the crowd 🎤
  37. 63. "See what I'm talkin' 'bout?" — Answer: YKNOW. Hint: A casual phrase used to check whether someone follows your point or agrees with you. 🤔
  38. 64. Brooklyn basketballers ... and what they swish — Answer: NETS. Hint: Think of the Brooklyn team named for the hoop’s woven target 🏀
  39. 65. Effortlessness — Answer: EASE. Hint: A feeling of things going smoothly without strain. 😊

Down

  1. 1. Spanish love — Answer: AMOR. Hint: Think of the Spanish word you might whisper to someone special. ❤️
  2. 2. Big ___ (nickname of baseball's David Ortiz) — Answer: PAPI. Hint: This affectionate nickname for the slugger means “dad” in Spanish. ⚾
  3. 3. Company bigwig — Answer: EXEC. Hint: A top decision-maker who helps steer the business. 🏢
  4. 4. *Next to each other, like many washers and dryers — Answer: SIDEBYSIDE. Hint: Arranged alongside one another, as a matched laundry pair might be 🧺
  5. 5. Strut down the "RuPaul's Drag Race" runway, say — Answer: SASHAY. Hint: Move with exaggerated confidence and flair, like a fabulous runway performer might 💃
  6. 6. Lo-cal — Answer: LITE. Hint: This word often describes low-calorie options that are still delicious! 🥗
  7. 7. Visa or Mastercard rival, informally — Answer: AMEX. Hint: Think of the card brand known for premium perks and airport lounges. 💳
  8. 8. Small recipe amt. — Answer: TSP. Hint: Think about a tiny measurement you might use when cooking! 🥄
  9. 9. Home of the Great Pyramid — Answer: EGYPT. Hint: Think of the ancient land known for pharaohs, pyramids, and the Nile 🐪
  10. 10. Loch ___ monster — Answer: NESS. Hint: Think of the legendary Scottish lake creature said to lurk in the deep. 🐉
  11. 11. Scribble (down) — Answer: JOT. Hint: Make a quick written note before the thought gets away 📝
  12. 12. Sappho's "___ to Aphrodite" — Answer: ODE. Hint: Think of the short poetic form often used for a heartfelt tribute. ✍️
  13. 13. Slangy affirmative — Answer: YEP. Hint: A casual way to say yes 👍
  14. 19. Lifted, as one's spirits — Answer: BUOYED. Hint: Cheered up and made more optimistic, perhaps after good news. 😊
  15. 21. ___ San Lucas, Mexico — Answer: CABO. Hint: Think of the popular resort city at the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula 🌴
  16. 24. Venture, as a guess — Answer: HAZARD. Hint: Think of a verb meaning to risk an uncertain guess. 🎲
  17. 25. Pressed sandwich — Answer: PANINI. Hint: This Italian treat is perfect for a quick, warm bite! 🥪
  18. 26. Part of a reindeer's rack — Answer: ANTLER. Hint: Think of the branched, bony growth a reindeer carries on its head. 🦌
  19. 27. Prepared one's home for a new arrival — Answer: NESTED. Hint: Think of getting a cozy space ready before a baby or hatchling arrives. 🪺
  20. 28. Spirited and determined — Answer: PLUCKY. Hint: A brave, lively attitude that keeps pushing forward fits this description. 💪
  21. 29. "___ Beach: The Real Orange County" (MTV reality show of the mid-aughts) — Answer: LAGUNA. Hint: Think of the sunny California coastal town featured in this MTV reality series. 🌴
  22. 30. Catching some Z's — Answer: ASLEEP. Hint: You’re in dreamland, not awake 😴
  23. 31. Irrational fear — Answer: PHOBIA. Hint: A strong fear without a logical reason may be described this way 😨
  24. 32. Word before printer or pointer — Answer: LASER. Hint: Think of the focused-beam technology associated with both a printer and a pointer. 🔦
  25. 33. *Considered individually — Answer: CASEBYCASE. Hint: Think about evaluating each situation on its own rather than as a group. 🧩
  26. 38. In a nonobvious way — Answer: SUBTLY. Hint: In a quiet, understated manner that avoids drawing attention. 🤫
  27. 42. "Deadpool" actor Reynolds — Answer: RYAN. Hint: Think of the Canadian actor who plays the red-suited, fourth-wall-breaking mercenary. 🎬
  28. 45. Says out loud without thinking — Answer: BLURTS. Hint: Reveals something impulsively, without pausing to choose the right words. 🤭
  29. 47. Spot for a roller skater's pad — Answer: ELBOW. Hint: Think of the bend where a skater’s protective pad often sits 🛼
  30. 49. Best Picture winner found hiding in "and the Oscar goes to ..." — Answer: ARGO. Hint: Spot the film title concealed across the words in the Oscar announcement. 🎥
  31. 50. "Heads, I win. Tails, you ___!" (sneaky coin flip agreement) — Answer: LOSE. Hint: This supposedly fair coin toss lets the speaker win either way. 🪙
  32. 51. Parent's sister — Answer: AUNT. Hint: Think of the relative who is a sister to one of your parents. 👩
  33. 52. Hawaiian storytelling dance — Answer: HULA. Hint: Think of Hawaii’s graceful dance used to express stories through movement. 🌺
  34. 53. Times of one's life, say — Answer: ERAS. Hint: Think of the different periods that make up a life story. ⏳
  35. 54. Title for Helen Mirren and Emma Thompson — Answer: DAME. Hint: A prestigious British honor commonly bestowed on acclaimed actresses. 🎭
  36. 55. Take to the sky — Answer: FLY. Hint: Leave the ground and soar through the air like a bird 🪽
  37. 56. Acorn-bearing tree — Answer: OAK. Hint: Think of the sturdy tree whose nuts are a favorite of squirrels 🌳
  38. 57. Caterer's coffee dispenser — Answer: URN. Hint: At a catered event, this vessel keeps the coffee flowing for guests. ☕
  39. 58. Above-water sign of a shark — Answer: FIN. Hint: Look for the triangular dorsal feature slicing through the waves. 🦈

Next NYT Crossword update in

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A new puzzle unlocks at 10 p.m. Eastern on weekdays and 6 p.m. Eastern on weekends (Tue, Aug 11, 2:20 AM UTC).

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

Looking for today's NYT Crossword answers? The complete solution to the daily New York Times puzzle — dated August 10, 2026 — is at the top of this page, updated the moment the new grid is released. The Times crossword is the most famous puzzle in the world and, later in the week, one of the hardest, so getting wedged in a corner is part of the experience. Whether you want to confirm a finished grid, unlock a single square, or see the whole solution, every across and down answer is listed below.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for today

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

Across

#ClueAnswer
1"Planet of the ___"APES
5Wood strip found in many Ikea bed supportsSLAT
9Take pleasure inENJOY
14Size opposite of mini-MAXI
15Prepares to throw a dart, sayAIMS
16Crystal-filled rockGEODE
17Newspaper opinion pieceOPED
18*Title of a 1990s ABC sitcom and a 1990s New Kids on the Block hitSTEPBYSTEP
20Cereal often found with pretzels in a party snack mixRICECHEX
22Vertical jumping ability, in basketball lingoUPS
23Sheep's cryBAA
24"___ to Go!," 2024 Chappell Roan hit sometimes compared to the Village People's "Y.M.C.A."HOT
25Attracted to people of any gender, for shortPAN
28*Detailed, real-time description of eventsPLAYBYPLAY
33Shape for a red-and-white striped Christmas candyCANE
34Rodeo ropeLASSO
35Foggy mental stateHAZE
36Raisins, when on a celery-and-peanut-butter "log"ANTS
37Wrinkly citrus fruitUGLI
38"What a shame"SOSAD
39Riverbank depositSILT
40Prompted, on stageCUED
41Lyft competitorUBER
42Zellweger of "Bridget Jones's Diary"RENEE
43Joint sometimes bent in protestKNEE
44*How to tackle big writing projects, per a seminal Anne Lamott bookBIRDBYBIRD
46Go on and on and onYAP
47LAX postingETA
48Frito-___LAY
49Not just some or mostALL
50Got off the ground, as a start-up companyLAUNCHED
55*Many an off-road vehicle ... or a literal description of the answer to each asterisked clue (including this one!)FOURBYFOUR
59Otherworldly glowAURA
60It means slow (not big!) in musicLARGO
61"Well, ___ that special!"ISNT
62Poetry competitionSLAM
63"See what I'm talkin' 'bout?"YKNOW
64Brooklyn basketballers ... and what they swishNETS
65EffortlessnessEASE

Today's NYT Crossword answers

Today's full solution appears above, organised into Across and Down exactly as the puzzle numbers them. If you only need one answer, each is listed separately so you can reveal the clue that's blocking you and keep solving the rest. The grid is confirmed and refreshed daily as soon as the Times publishes it, and — because the puzzle's difficulty climbs through the week — we keep the layout identical every day so you always know where to look.

About the New York Times Crossword

The NYT Crossword has run since 1942 and has been edited by Will Shortz since 1993, making it the benchmark against which every other American crossword is measured. The weekday puzzle is a 15×15 grid; Sundays expand to a 21×21 grid with a title and theme. It's known for clever, layered clues — misdirection, puns, and themed twists — and for its “crosswordese,” the small stock of vowel-heavy words (ETUI, OREO, ERA, ALOE) that recur because they fit tight grids. Solving it requires a Games subscription, which is why so many solvers search for the answers when a clue defeats them.

The Monday-to-Saturday difficulty curve

The single most important thing to know about the Times crossword is that it gets harder as the week goes on — the grid size stays the same, but the cluing grows trickier:

DayDifficultyWhat to expect
MondayEasiestStraightforward, direct clues
TuesdayEasyA little more wordplay
WednesdayMediumThemes get more inventive
ThursdayTrickyRebus puzzles and gimmicks appear
FridayHardThemeless, wide-open grids
SaturdayHardestThe toughest cluing of the week
SundayMedium–hardLarge 21×21 themed puzzle

So if a Thursday clue seems to make no sense, that's by design — Thursdays often hide a trick, like multiple letters crammed into one square (a rebus). Knowing the day tells you how devious the clues are likely to be.

How to break a stubborn NYT clue

  • Solve the crossings first. In a 15×15 grid, every hard answer is crossed by others; three or four crossing letters usually reveal it.
  • Question the clue's angle. A question mark at the end of a clue signals a pun or play on words — read it less literally.
  • Mind the tense and number. Plurals end in S, past-tense answers often end in ED — free letters once you spot them.
  • Know the day. A baffling clue on a Monday is probably you overthinking; the same on a Saturday is probably genuine misdirection.
  • Use the solver for one answer. Our crossword solver lets you enter the clue and your known letters to reveal a single answer without spoiling the rest of the grid.

Browse past NYT Crossword answers

Every previous New York Times puzzle is archived on this page by date, with its complete across and down solutions. It's the fastest way to check yesterday's grid, revisit a Sunday you didn't finish, or look up a clue that's been nagging you. The archive updates automatically each day — today's answers roll into it as the next puzzle publishes — so it stays complete without spoiling the current day. Use the date picker above to jump to any past puzzle.

Browse more puzzles on the crossword solver, or use it to crack any clue from any publication.

Frequently asked questions

What are today's NYT Crossword answers?

The full Across and Down solution for today's puzzle (August 10, 2026) is listed at the top of this page, updated as soon as the Times releases it.

What time does the NYT Crossword come out?

The daily puzzle is released at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before on weekdays (7 p.m. Pacific) and 6 p.m. Eastern before weekends. We post the answers as soon as it goes live.

Why is the NYT Crossword harder later in the week?

By design: Monday is the easiest and Saturday the hardest, with cluing growing trickier each day. The Sunday puzzle is larger (21×21) and themed, at a medium-hard level.

How do I reveal just one answer?

Each answer is listed separately here, or use the crossword solver to reveal a single clue's answer from your known letters — without seeing the rest of the grid.

Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?

Every previous puzzle is in the archive on this page, listed by date with full solutions, updated automatically each day.