By Jeremy Venook

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Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Assistance — Answer: HELP. Hint: Support when you need it most 🤝
  2. 5. Dickens villain ___ Heep — Answer: URIAH. Hint: A famously obsequious figure from a Dickens novel 📚
  3. 10. Bears' lairs — Answer: DENS. Hint: These cozy hideaways shelter bears 🐻
  4. 14. Plant with many topical uses — Answer: ALOE. Hint: This succulent is a go-to for soothing skin 🌿
  5. 15. Downright unpleasant — Answer: NASTY. Hint: A fitting word for something mean and unpleasant 😖
  6. 16. Meaning of "vidi," in Caesar's boast — Answer: ISAW. Hint: It describes Caesar’s act of vision in his famous boast 👀
  7. 17. Classic Beethoven piano piece — Answer: MOONLIGHTSONATA. Hint: Beethoven’s nocturnal-sounding piano masterpiece fits this clue 🎹
  8. 20. Fed. agency overseeing the stock market — Answer: SEC. Hint: This U.S. regulator polices Wall Street 📈
  9. 21. To blame — Answer: ATFAULT. Hint: Responsible for the mishap, in a courtroom-style phrase ⚖️
  10. 22. Online QA — Answer: AMA. Hint: An online session where anyone can pose questions 💬
  11. 25. ___ ex machina — Answer: DEUS. Hint: Latin for “god” in a plot device that saves the day 🎭
  12. 28. Home to Kosovo and Monaco: Abbr. — Answer: EUR. Hint: This abbreviation covers the continent containing both places 🌍
  13. 29. Academy Award-winning tune from "La La Land" — Answer: CITYOFSTARS. Hint: The dreamy winning song celebrates Los Angeles in a musical film 🌟
  14. 32. "Chiseled" muscles — Answer: ABS. Hint: These core muscles get showcased by fitness buffs 💪
  15. 35. Of yore — Answer: OLDEN. Hint: A storybook way to say long ago 📜
  16. 36. Snippet in a film review show — Answer: MOVIECLIP. Hint: A review program may show one of these brief film excerpts 🎬
  17. 38. "Looper" director Johnson — Answer: RIAN. Hint: The filmmaker behind Looper also directed Knives Out 🎥
  18. 39. Sarcastic title girl of 1990s-2000s MTV — Answer: DARIA. Hint: This deadpan animated teen starred in a sharp MTV comedy 📺
  19. 40. Utah skiing destination — Answer: ALTA. Hint: This Utah resort is famed for powder and steep slopes ⛷️
  20. 41. Coverers of current events — Answer: NEWSMEDIA. Hint: A collective term for organizations that report what’s happening 📰
  21. 43. Boss (around) — Answer: ORDER. Hint: A command can also mean arranging things neatly. 👔
  22. 44. Phoenix basketball player — Answer: SUN. Hint: This player shares a name with the bright star at the center of our solar system. ☀️
  23. 45. 1983 Eurythmics hit whose full title includes "(Are Made of This)" — Answer: SWEETDREAMS. Hint: This catchy 1983 hit suggests that our inner visions are made of something sugary and sleepy. 🎶
  24. 47. Popular fantasy role-playing game, in brief — Answer: DND. Hint: This famous tabletop fantasy game sends adventurers on quests with dice. 🎲
  25. 48. Spies — Answer: SEES. Hint: These can mean watches closely or notices with the eyes. 👀
  26. 49. "___-haw!" — Answer: YEE. Hint: This enthusiastic cowboy cry often follows a long, exuberant “haw.” 🤠
  27. 50. It has its x's and y's — Answer: ALGEBRA. Hint: This branch of math uses symbols to represent unknown quantities. ➗
  28. 54. T-shirt or blouse — Answer: TOP. Hint: This garment can be worn above a skirt or beneath a jacket. 👚
  29. 56. Iconic number from "The Phantom of the Opera" ... or an apt title for this puzzle — Answer: MUSICOFTHENIGHT. Hint: This haunting solo comes from a famous Andrew Lloyd Webber stage production. 🎭
  30. 62. Story of one's life? — Answer: OBIT. Hint: This brief newspaper notice may summarize someone’s life after their passing. 📰
  31. 63. Beforehand — Answer: PRIOR. Hint: Something happening earlier has this temporal status. ⏮️
  32. 64. Singer Kahan with the 2026 #1 album "The Great Divide" — Answer: NOAH. Hint: This singer-songwriter shares a biblical name and topped the charts in 2026. 🎤
  33. 65. Hot — Answer: SEXY. Hint: A playful way to describe someone irresistibly attractive. 🔥
  34. 66. 17-, 29-, 45- and 56-Across — Answer: SONGS. Hint: These are the musical numbers referenced by the listed entries. 🎵
  35. 67. Person regularly sought out for advice — Answer: GOTO. Hint: When you need dependable guidance, this person is your usual choice. 🧭

Down

  1. 1. Scene stealer — Answer: HAM. Hint: An over-the-top performer may steal every scene. 🎭
  2. 2. Eponym of a chess rating system — Answer: ELO. Hint: This chess ranking system bears the surname of its Hungarian-American creator. ♟️
  3. 3. British bathroom — Answer: LOO. Hint: This term is commonly used across the pond when referring to a place for personal business! 🚻
  4. 4. Writes — Answer: PENS. Hint: These writing tools can also mean putting thoughts onto paper. ✍️
  5. 5. International aid org. — Answer: UNICEF. Hint: This United Nations agency works to protect children worldwide. 🌍
  6. 6. Cloth covered in dust, say — Answer: RAG. Hint: This humble cleaning cloth may be described that way after a dusty chore. 🧹
  7. 7. "... or so" — Answer: ISH. Hint: This suffix means approximately or somewhat. 🤏
  8. 8. Lead-in to "boy!" or "girl!" — Answer: ATTA. Hint: It’s the encouraging phrase that comes right before praise for someone’s achievement. 👏
  9. 9. Madness — Answer: HYSTERIA. Hint: Think of an uncontrolled frenzy or mass panic. 🤯
  10. 10. Kuwaiti currency — Answer: DINAR. Hint: Its name is shared by several currencies across the Middle East. 💰
  11. 11. The elder of a pair of biblical twins — Answer: ESAU. Hint: This older twin was the brother of Jacob in Genesis. 📖
  12. 12. The "N" of N.A.A.C.P.: Abbr. — Answer: NATL. Hint: It abbreviates the word meaning connected with a nation. 🌎
  13. 13. Smack, as flies — Answer: SWAT. Hint: Use a quick hand motion to knock an annoying insect away. 🪰
  14. 18. Gave false hopes — Answer: LEDON. Hint: This means misled someone into expecting more than you intended. 🎭
  15. 19. Coming in handy — Answer: OFUSE. Hint: Something helpful at just the right moment is this. 🛠️
  16. 22. Nuts whose shells look like they have little berets — Answer: ACORNS. Hint: Look for the nuts that fall from oak trees, complete with caps. 🌳
  17. 23. Environs — Answer: MILIEU. Hint: This means the surrounding social or cultural setting. 🏙️
  18. 24. When Hamilton and Burr had their duel — Answer: ATDAWN. Hint: The famous duel took place at the break of day. 🌅
  19. 26. Manufactured in America — Answer: USMADE. Hint: This label proudly says the product was made in the States. 🇺🇸
  20. 27. What gossipers and tall buildings are full of — Answer: STORIES. Hint: Both chatty people and skyscrapers can have many of these. 🏙️
  21. 30. Desires — Answer: YENS. Hint: These are strong wishes or longings for something you really want. 💭
  22. 31. Fly in the sky — Answer: AVIATE. Hint: Use this verb for piloting or traveling through the air. ✈️
  23. 32. Like some theme park passes — Answer: ALLDAY. Hint: These passes let you enjoy attractions from opening until closing. 🎢
  24. 33. "Oh, buzz off" — Answer: BITEME. Hint: This snarky retort tells someone to go away. 😏
  25. 34. Thin on the ground — Answer: SPARSE. Hint: If things are few and far between, they have this quality. 🌾
  26. 37. Give a hoot — Answer: CARE. Hint: To do this is to show concern or interest. 🦉
  27. 39. Morning condensation — Answer: DEWDROPS. Hint: These tiny beads sparkle on grass at sunrise. 💧
  28. 42. Channel that rebranded with "NOW" in its name in 2025 — Answer: MSNBC. Hint: Look to the cable news network whose updated branding adds a word meaning current. 📺
  29. 43. "Citizen Kane" director Welles — Answer: ORSON. Hint: Think of the director and actor who narrated a famous sci-fi radio broadcast. 🎬
  30. 46. Forfends — Answer: DETERS. Hint: This verb means prevents or wards off something unwanted. 🛡️
  31. 47. Part of a pantheon — Answer: DEITY. Hint: A god or goddess belongs in this divine group. ⚡
  32. 50. "Famous" cookie baker — Answer: AMOS. Hint: Think of the first name associated with a well-known chocolate-chip cookie brand. 🍪
  33. 51. Anti-friction fluid — Answer: LUBE. Hint: This slippery substance helps moving parts glide smoothly. 🛠️
  34. 52. High-end private jet, familiarly — Answer: GSIX. Hint: It is a celebrity-style nickname for a luxurious private aircraft. ✈️
  35. 53. Hairstyle associated with Jimi Hendrix and Angela Davis — Answer: AFRO. Hint: Picture the rounded, natural hairstyle worn by these cultural icons. 💇
  36. 55. Send an instant message — Answer: PING. Hint: Use this verb for sending a quick digital nudge. 📱
  37. 57. Sardine container — Answer: TIN. Hint: Canned fish commonly comes packaged in this small metal container. 🐟
  38. 58. Refuse to share — Answer: HOG. Hint: To keep everything for yourself is to act this way. 😏
  39. 59. Glop — Answer: GOO. Hint: Think of a sticky, shapeless blob. 🫠
  40. 60. Mario has a red "M" on his — Answer: HAT. Hint: The mustachioed game hero wears this on his head. 🎮
  41. 61. Howe'er — Answer: THO. Hint: This is a poetic contraction meaning “however.” 📖

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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 18, 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

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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 18, 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.