NYT Crossword Answers Today
By Blake Slonecker
Across
- 1BeganDAWNED
- 7Show faces?TVACTORS
- 16Worth looking back onHISTORIC
- 17One from "Japan's kitchen"OSAKAN
- 18AppealENTREATY
- 19Bit of ceramic warePOT
- 20Cast offSETSAIL
- 227/JUL
- 25Rose Bowl Stadium athleteBRUIN
- 26Big ringPEAL
- 30Say "Hey," sayHOLLA
- 31"Speak up"ICANTHEARYOU
- 34Intermezzo and trou normand dishes, essentiallyPALATECLEANSERS
- 38Hoedown get-down?TEXASTWOSTEP
- 39Long-___ squidARMED
- 43Christina of "Buffalo '66"RICCI
- 44Ring locationLOBE
- 45Oil wells?PORES
- 47Nickname for EleanorNELL
- 49"Got it?"CAPISCE
- 51ThruTIL
- 52Underlining, e.g.EMPHASIS
- 56Some back-and-forthREPARTEE
- 57Big name in fashionLAUREN
- 58Go in the wrong way?TRESPASS
- 59"I beg you!"PLEASE
Down
- 1Cut out the middleman, for deliveryDROPSHIP
- 2Fabulous collectionAESOPICA
- 3"You're the best!"WHATAPAL
- 4No-good ending?NIK
- 5Diamond figs.ERAS
- 8Dressing groupVINAIGRETTES
- 10___-CCTRL
- 12Toothache care optionORAJEL
- 13Communion, e.g.RITUAL
- 21Upper regions of forestsTREECANOPIES
- 24Sea cowMANATEE
- 26French Baroque artist NicolasPOUSSIN
- 28Challenged on X, sayATTED
- 30Scout's follower?HONOR
- 32Bad spellHEX
- 35"You get the point"ETCETERA
- 36Kicks back, in a wayRECLINES
- 40Certain tenantROOMER
- 41French soccer superstar KylianMBAPPE
- 45Some bow tiesPASTA
- 46Where roots take holdSCALP
- 49ComplainCARP
- 50Citation shortenerETAL
- 53TricksHAS
- 55Orange or limeHUE
Crossword clues, hints, and answers
Across
- 1. Began — Answer: DAWNED. Hint: It came into awareness or got underway 🌅
- 7. Show faces? — Answer: TVACTORS. Hint: They portray characters on the small screen 🎬
- 15. Bring back into the fold, so to speak — Answer: REHIRE. Hint: Give a former worker another chance on the payroll 🔄
- 16. Worth looking back on — Answer: HISTORIC. Hint: Significant enough to deserve remembrance through the ages 🏛️
- 17. One from "Japan's kitchen" — Answer: OSAKAN. Hint: This person hails from Japan’s bustling culinary city 🍣
- 18. Appeal — Answer: ENTREATY. Hint: A heartfelt request for help or action 🙏
- 19. Bit of ceramic ware — Answer: POT. Hint: A small piece of kitchenware that can hold or cook something 🍲
- 20. Cast off — Answer: SETSAIL. Hint: Depart on a voyage, leaving the harbor behind ⛵
- 22. 7/ — Answer: JUL. Hint: This calendar shorthand names the seventh month 📅
- 23. "Lovely" and "wonderful" food, per Monty Python — Answer: SPAM. Hint: Monty Python famously turned canned meat into a repeated comic refrain 🥫
- 25. Rose Bowl Stadium athlete — Answer: BRUIN. Hint: This mascot represents UCLA’s athletic teams 🐻
- 26. Big ring — Answer: PEAL. Hint: A grand bell’s booming sound 🔔
- 27. Patient privacy law, in brief — Answer: HIPAA. Hint: U.S. rules protecting medical information, in brief 🏥
- 29. World Cup team nicknamed "The Three Lions": Abbr. — Answer: ENG. Hint: The shortened name of the nation behind the Three Lions ⚽
- 30. Say "Hey," say — Answer: HOLLA. Hint: Offer a casual greeting or shout-out 🗣️
- 31. "Speak up" — Answer: ICANTHEARYOU. Hint: A playful response when someone’s voice is too faint 📢
- 34. Intermezzo and trou normand dishes, essentially — Answer: PALATECLEANSERS. Hint: These reset your taste buds between courses 🍋
- 38. Hoedown get-down? — Answer: TEXASTWOSTEP. Hint: A lively country dance built around paired stepping and plenty of swagger 🤠
- 39. Long-___ squid — Answer: ARMED. Hint: The missing word describes squid with unusually lengthy appendages 🦑
- 42. "Wayne's World" exclamation — Answer: NOT. Hint: A punchy word used to reject or contradict something emphatically 🎸
- 43. Christina of "Buffalo '66" — Answer: RICCI. Hint: She portrayed Layla in this cult indie film. 🎬
- 44. Ring location — Answer: LOBE. Hint: A small body part often decorated with a hoop. 👂
- 45. Oil wells? — Answer: PORES. Hint: These tiny openings can release natural oils to the skin’s surface. 🛢️
- 47. Nickname for Eleanor — Answer: NELL. Hint: This short nickname for Eleanor has a vintage charm. 🎀
- 48. Eye-catching stage prop — Answer: BOA. Hint: A feathery accessory can steal the spotlight. 🪶
- 49. "Got it?" — Answer: CAPISCE. Hint: This Italian-flavored question asks whether you understand. 🤌
- 51. Thru — Answer: TIL. Hint: This casual abbreviation means until. 🗓️
- 52. Underlining, e.g. — Answer: EMPHASIS. Hint: Boldface or underlining can provide this. ✍️
- 54. Classical figure in an 1898 Gustav Klimt oil — Answer: ATHENA. Hint: Klimt painted this Greek goddess in a late-nineteenth-century work. 🏛️
- 56. Some back-and-forth — Answer: REPARTEE. Hint: Quick, witty exchanges have this sparkling quality. 💬
- 57. Big name in fashion — Answer: LAUREN. Hint: A designer famous for polo shirts shares a first name with Bacall. 👗
- 58. Go in the wrong way? — Answer: TRESPASS. Hint: Enter where you have no permission, perhaps by taking a forbidden route. 🚫
- 59. "I beg you!" — Answer: PLEASE. Hint: A polite plea often softens a request. 🙏
Down
- 1. Cut out the middleman, for delivery — Answer: DROPSHIP. Hint: A retailer can send an order straight from supplier to customer this way. 📦
- 2. Fabulous collection — Answer: AESOPICA. Hint: A gathering of fables points to the ancient storyteller. 🦊
- 3. "You're the best!" — Answer: WHATAPAL. Hint: This exuberant compliment celebrates an exceptional friend. 🏆
- 4. No-good ending? — Answer: NIK. Hint: This suffix can label a person associated with a trait or habit. 🧩
- 5. Diamond figs. — Answer: ERAS. Hint: On a baseball stat line, these measure pitchers’ run prevention. ⚾
- 6. Leftmost star of the Summer Triangle — Answer: DENEB. Hint: Look to the swan for the triangle’s far-left point. 🦢
- 7. Classic 1926 novel often published with a bull and matador on its cover — Answer: THESUNALSORISES. Hint: Hemingway’s expatriate tale follows friends through postwar Europe. 📖
- 8. Dressing group — Answer: VINAIGRETTES. Hint: Several oil-and-vinegar salad toppings form this collection 🥗
- 9. Gamgee player in "Lord of the Rings" — Answer: ASTIN. Hint: The actor who played Samwise also starred in a famous sports drama 🎬
- 10. ___-C — Answer: CTRL. Hint: This keyboard prefix teams up with C for copying ⌨️
- 11. The second one on the Statue of Liberty is longer than its first one — Answer: TOE. Hint: Think of the foot’s smallest digit, not the whole limb 🦶
- 12. Toothache care option — Answer: ORAJEL. Hint: A drugstore gel can temporarily soothe a painful tooth 🦷
- 13. Communion, e.g. — Answer: RITUAL. Hint: A repeated sacred observance fits this broad category ⛪
- 14. Charybdis' man-eating opposite, in myth — Answer: SCYLLA. Hint: In the old sea-monster pairing, look for the creature with multiple snapping heads 🌊
- 21. Upper regions of forests — Answer: TREECANOPIES. Hint: Look up to the leafy ceilings where woodland branches meet 🌳
- 24. Sea cow — Answer: MANATEE. Hint: This gentle aquatic mammal grazes on vegetation in warm coastal waters 🐋
- 26. French Baroque artist Nicolas — Answer: POUSSIN. Hint: This painter is known for classical scenes and carefully ordered compositions 🎨
- 28. Challenged on X, say — Answer: ATTED. Hint: On social media, someone may receive this when publicly called out 📱
- 30. Scout's follower? — Answer: HONOR. Hint: A promise associated with a youth outdoors group supplies this follower 🏕️
- 32. Bad spell — Answer: HEX. Hint: A witch’s curse is the sort of magic sought here 🧙
- 33. Partner of pitch and roll — Answer: YAW. Hint: An aircraft’s three-dimensional motion includes this side-to-side rotation ✈️
- 35. "You get the point" — Answer: ETCETERA. Hint: This phrase gestures toward all the remaining examples without listing them 👉
- 36. Kicks back, in a way — Answer: RECLINES. Hint: After a long day, someone may do this by leaning comfortably backward 🛋️
- 37. Crime writer Mickey who created the Mike Hammer stories — Answer: SPILLANE. Hint: The hard-boiled author behind Mike Hammer had a suitably dramatic surname 📚
- 39. Prince of Monaco beginning in 2005 — Answer: ALBERT. Hint: He succeeded his father Rainier as Monaco’s reigning prince 👑
- 40. Certain tenant — Answer: ROOMER. Hint: A person renting a bedroom rather than an entire home fits this description 🏠
- 41. French soccer superstar Kylian — Answer: MBAPPE. Hint: This French forward became a global soccer star with dazzling speed ⚽
- 45. Some bow ties — Answer: PASTA. Hint: Think of the noodle shape named for its resemblance to a bow tie. 🍝
- 46. Where roots take hold — Answer: SCALP. Hint: Look to the skin atop the head where hair grows. 💇
- 49. Complain — Answer: CARP. Hint: To do this is to grumble about something. 😤
- 50. Citation shortener — Answer: ETAL. Hint: In references, this Latin abbreviation means “and others.” 📚
- 53. Tricks — Answer: HAS. Hint: As a verb, this means deceives or fools. 🎭
- 55. Orange or lime — Answer: HUE. Hint: Either fruit can describe a color shade. 🎨
Next NYT Crossword update in
A new puzzle unlocks at 10 p.m. Eastern on weekdays and 6 p.m. Eastern on weekends (Sat, Aug 15, 10:20 PM 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 15, 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
| # | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Began | DAWNED |
| 7 | Show faces? | TVACTORS |
| 15 | Bring back into the fold, so to speak | REHIRE |
| 16 | Worth looking back on | HISTORIC |
| 17 | One from "Japan's kitchen" | OSAKAN |
| 18 | Appeal | ENTREATY |
| 19 | Bit of ceramic ware | POT |
| 20 | Cast off | SETSAIL |
| 22 | 7/ | JUL |
| 23 | "Lovely" and "wonderful" food, per Monty Python | SPAM |
| 25 | Rose Bowl Stadium athlete | BRUIN |
| 26 | Big ring | PEAL |
| 27 | Patient privacy law, in brief | HIPAA |
| 29 | World Cup team nicknamed "The Three Lions": Abbr. | ENG |
| 30 | Say "Hey," say | HOLLA |
| 31 | "Speak up" | ICANTHEARYOU |
| 34 | Intermezzo and trou normand dishes, essentially | PALATECLEANSERS |
| 38 | Hoedown get-down? | TEXASTWOSTEP |
| 39 | Long-___ squid | ARMED |
| 42 | "Wayne's World" exclamation | NOT |
| 43 | Christina of "Buffalo '66" | RICCI |
| 44 | Ring location | LOBE |
| 45 | Oil wells? | PORES |
| 47 | Nickname for Eleanor | NELL |
| 48 | Eye-catching stage prop | BOA |
| 49 | "Got it?" | CAPISCE |
| 51 | Thru | TIL |
| 52 | Underlining, e.g. | EMPHASIS |
| 54 | Classical figure in an 1898 Gustav Klimt oil | ATHENA |
| 56 | Some back-and-forth | REPARTEE |
| 57 | Big name in fashion | LAUREN |
| 58 | Go in the wrong way? | TRESPASS |
| 59 | "I beg you!" | PLEASE |
Down
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:
| Day | Difficulty | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Easiest | Straightforward, direct clues |
| Tuesday | Easy | A little more wordplay |
| Wednesday | Medium | Themes get more inventive |
| Thursday | Tricky | Rebus puzzles and gimmicks appear |
| Friday | Hard | Themeless, wide-open grids |
| Saturday | Hardest | The toughest cluing of the week |
| Sunday | Medium–hard | Large 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 15, 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.