NYT Crossword Answers - Aug 20

By Hoang-Kim Vu

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Across

  1. 1Sound like heavenHARP
  2. 5Game of observation for travelSAFARI
  3. 11Ad freePSA
  4. 14Brief in pantsTROU
  5. 15Correct thoroughlySPOTON
  6. 16Bad feelAIL
  7. 17Try to place connoisseurs?TASTINGROOM
  8. 19Cells in compoundRNA
  9. 20Checks with stylePLAID
  10. 21To copOWN
  11. 22Competition, for startersATEAM
  12. 24York ___NUEVA
  13. 26Place recordingSTUDIO
  14. 27Signals over gameHORNS
  15. 29Maturity approachingRIPER
  16. 31Crows to relativesRAVENS
  17. 32Free boozeDRY
  18. 33Confidentiality of letters?NDAS
  19. 37"Done well"BRAVO
  20. 38Short for "info flight"ETA
  21. 39Sponge bathLOOFA
  22. 40Nothing doingIDLE
  23. 41Say "minus C"MEH
  24. 42Set offDEFRAY
  25. 43Practice JapaneseREIKI
  26. 45Equal roughlyONPAR
  27. 46Into lightCUSSAT
  28. 49Nags about noise?NEIGH
  29. 51Land of SpotISLET
  30. 52On-off signsOKS
  31. 53Lines some over drawTRACE
  32. 57For repentance some feelRUE
  33. 58Details insignificant contestsSPLITSHAIRS
  34. 61Spending limits itCAP
  35. 62Forum discussion, popular onceUSENET
  36. 63Cut shortSNIP
  37. 64Rock-___ALT
  38. 65Out with ate, ate, atePIGGED
  39. 66Website gift customETSY

Down

  1. 1URL starterHTTP
  2. 2Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment effortsARAL
  3. 3Civil rights icon ParksROSA
  4. 4Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across cluesPUTINREVERSE
  5. 5ID in some data breachesSSN
  6. 6Elite H.S. class covering the ConstitutionAPGOV
  7. 7Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down cluesFORWARDTHINKING
  8. 8LoadsATON
  9. 9Babe in the Hundred Acre WoodROO
  10. 10One advocated for by the National Prison ProjectINMATE
  11. 11Whittled (down)PARED
  12. 12Biblical mountSINAI
  13. 13It's worth remembering!ALAMO
  14. 18"No idea"IDUNNO
  15. 23Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across cluesTURNOFPHRASE
  16. 25Feature of San Francisco's Lombard StreetESS
  17. 26Mole, e.g.SPY
  18. 27FirmHARD
  19. 28Like many cricket fieldsOVAL
  20. 30Plan to contribute to, for shortIRA
  21. 31One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for shortRBI
  22. 34"___ the Explorer"DORA
  23. 35Some distance awayAFAR
  24. 36DeclareSAY
  25. 38"Oh no! A mouse!"EEK
  26. 39What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizesLENGTH
  27. 41Univ. with an annual Mystery HuntMIT
  28. 42Eager response to "Wanna join?"DOI
  29. 44Goes nuts forEATSUP
  30. 46AroundCIRCA
  31. 47Garden-varietyUSUAL
  32. 48Wasn't paying attentionSLEPT
  33. 50Lauder of cosmeticsESTEE
  34. 52Designer CassiniOLEG
  35. 54"I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan JettAINT
  36. 55N.F.L. commentator CollinsworthCRIS
  37. 56Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.ESPY
  38. 59Letter after chiPSI
  39. 60The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr.STD

Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Sound like heaven — Answer: HARP. Hint: Think of a celestial string instrument. 😇
  2. 5. Game of observation for travel — Answer: SAFARI. Hint: It’s a journey where spotting wildlife is the main event. 🦁
  3. 11. Ad free — Answer: PSA. Hint: Picture an informational announcement that doesn’t sell anything. 📢
  4. 14. Brief in pants — Answer: TROU. Hint: Think of a French clothing-related word for an opening or gap. 👖
  5. 15. Correct thoroughly — Answer: SPOTON. Hint: This phrase means exactly right or completely accurate. 🎯
  6. 16. Bad feel — Answer: AIL. Hint: Use a verb meaning to make someone unwell. 🤒
  7. 17. Try to place connoisseurs? — Answer: TASTINGROOM. Hint: Imagine a venue where experts sample and compare fine drinks. 🍷
  8. 19. Cells in compound — Answer: RNA. Hint: Look for genetic material that helps cells build proteins. 🧬
  9. 20. Checks with style — Answer: PLAID. Hint: Think of a bold woven pattern made from intersecting stripes. 🧵
  10. 21. To cop — Answer: OWN. Hint: As a verb, it can mean to possess or decisively defeat someone. 💪
  11. 22. Competition, for starters — Answer: ATEAM. Hint: Picture the elite squad you’d want representing you in a contest. 🏆
  12. 24. York ___ — Answer: NUEVA. Hint: Pair the city name with the Spanish word meaning new. 🗺️
  13. 26. Place recording — Answer: STUDIO. Hint: Musicians and broadcasters create their work in this specialized room. 🎙️
  14. 27. Signals over game — Answer: HORNS. Hint: In football, these blasts can mark scores or stoppages. 📯
  15. 29. Maturity approaching — Answer: RIPER. Hint: Think of produce that is almost ready to eat. 🍑
  16. 31. Crows to relatives — Answer: RAVENS. Hint: These dark, clever birds belong to the same family as crows. 🐦
  17. 32. Free booze — Answer: DRY. Hint: At a bar, this can mean containing no alcohol. 🍸
  18. 33. Confidentiality of letters? — Answer: NDAS. Hint: These agreements promise that private information will stay private. 🤫
  19. 37. "Done well" — Answer: BRAVO. Hint: Think of a word of applause for an excellent performance. 👏
  20. 38. Short for "info flight" — Answer: ETA. Hint: This travel abbreviation gives the expected arrival time. ✈️
  21. 39. Sponge bath — Answer: LOOFA. Hint: This natural scrubber helps lather and exfoliate in the shower. 🛁
  22. 40. Nothing doing — Answer: IDLE. Hint: It describes being inactive or accomplishing nothing. 😴
  23. 41. Say "minus C" — Answer: MEH. Hint: This dismissive utterance suggests lukewarm indifference rather than enthusiasm. 😐
  24. 42. Set off — Answer: DEFRAY. Hint: To offset or cover a cost is to do this. 💸
  25. 43. Practice Japanese — Answer: REIKI. Hint: This Japanese wellness practice uses gentle energy work. 🧘
  26. 45. Equal roughly — Answer: ONPAR. Hint: It describes two things that are approximately equal or comparable. ⚖️
  27. 46. Into light — Answer: CUSSAT. Hint: This two-word expression means directing a swear word toward someone. 🤬
  28. 49. Nags about noise? — Answer: NEIGH. Hint: A horse’s complaint might sound like a pun on nagging. 🐴
  29. 51. Land of Spot — Answer: ISLET. Hint: A tiny piece of land surrounded by water fits this description. 🏝️
  30. 52. On-off signs — Answer: OKS. Hint: These short affirmations can mean yes or approval. 👍
  31. 53. Lines some over draw — Answer: TRACE. Hint: To copy an outline by drawing over it is to do this. ✏️
  32. 57. For repentance some feel — Answer: RUE. Hint: A pang of remorse may prompt this feeling. 😔
  33. 58. Details insignificant contests — Answer: SPLITSHAIRS. Hint: To fuss over tiny distinctions is to engage in this pedantic behavior. 🔍
  34. 61. Spending limits it — Answer: CAP. Hint: A maximum allowance can restrict how much you spend. 💳
  35. 62. Forum discussion, popular once — Answer: USENET. Hint: This early online discussion system was a pre-social-media gathering place. 💻
  36. 63. Cut short — Answer: SNIP. Hint: A quick trim can do this to a word, branch, or conversation. ✂️
  37. 64. Rock-___ — Answer: ALT. Hint: Complete the genre phrase for a non-mainstream guitar style. 🎸
  38. 65. Out with ate, ate, ate — Answer: PIGGED. Hint: Eating excessively can leave someone feeling stuffed and sheepish. 🍽️
  39. 66. Website gift custom — Answer: ETSY. Hint: This handmade-goods marketplace is a go-to for personalized presents. 🎁

Down

  1. 1. URL starter — Answer: HTTP. Hint: This protocol prefix commonly appears before a web address. 🌐
  2. 2. Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment efforts — Answer: ARAL. Hint: This inland body of water has been the focus of major restoration efforts. 🌊
  3. 3. Civil rights icon Parks — Answer: ROSA. Hint: She made a memorable stand for equality on a bus in Montgomery! 🚌
  4. 4. Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues — Answer: PUTINREVERSE. Hint: For the themed instruction, move your vehicle’s transmission backward. 🚗
  5. 5. ID in some data breaches — Answer: SSN. Hint: This highly sensitive personal identifier is often exposed when records leak. 🔐
  6. 6. Elite H.S. class covering the Constitution — Answer: APGOV. Hint: This advanced course examines U.S. government and its founding document. 📚
  7. 7. Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down clues — Answer: FORWARDTHINKING. Hint: It describes an imaginative outlook and points you back toward a future-minded approach. 🔭
  8. 8. Loads — Answer: ATON. Hint: A hefty quantity can be expressed with this informal phrase. 📦
  9. 9. Babe in the Hundred Acre Wood — Answer: ROO. Hint: This cheerful young kangaroo is one of Pooh’s friends. 🦘
  10. 10. One advocated for by the National Prison Project — Answer: INMATE. Hint: The project advocates for fair treatment of this incarcerated person. ⚖️
  11. 11. Whittled (down) — Answer: PARED. Hint: Something reduced by trimming has been cut back. ✂️
  12. 12. Biblical mount — Answer: SINAI. Hint: Moses is traditionally said to have received the commandments on this mountain. ⛰️
  13. 13. It's worth remembering! — Answer: ALAMO. Hint: This historic Texas mission is linked with a famous battle cry. 🏛️
  14. 18. "No idea" — Answer: IDUNNO. Hint: A casual shrug might prompt this uncertain response. 🤷
  15. 23. Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across clues — Answer: TURNOFPHRASE. Hint: A memorable bit of wording or idiomatic expression fits this description. 💬
  16. 25. Feature of San Francisco's Lombard Street — Answer: ESS. Hint: Its famously crooked roadway is made up of a series of tight bends. 🛣️
  17. 26. Mole, e.g. — Answer: SPY. Hint: Think of someone who secretly gathers information for one side. 🕵️
  18. 27. Firm — Answer: HARD. Hint: The opposite of soft or yielding is described this way. 🪨
  19. 28. Like many cricket fields — Answer: OVAL. Hint: These playing grounds are often rounded rather than rectangular. 🏏
  20. 30. Plan to contribute to, for short — Answer: IRA. Hint: This retirement account is a common destination for contributions. 💰
  21. 31. One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for short — Answer: RBI. Hint: This baseball statistic credits a batter when a teammate scores. ⚾
  22. 34. "___ the Explorer" — Answer: DORA. Hint: This animated young adventurer is known for her backpack and map. 🎒
  23. 35. Some distance away — Answer: AFAR. Hint: Something located at a considerable distance is described this way. 🌄
  24. 36. Declare — Answer: SAY. Hint: To express something aloud is to do this. 💬
  25. 38. "Oh no! A mouse!" — Answer: EEK. Hint: A startled squeal escapes before you can think. 😱
  26. 39. What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizes — Answer: LENGTH. Hint: It tells you how long the trousers are. 👖
  27. 41. Univ. with an annual Mystery Hunt — Answer: MIT. Hint: This Cambridge school hosts a famous puzzling tradition. 🧩
  28. 42. Eager response to "Wanna join?" — Answer: DOI. Hint: Give an enthusiastic affirmative to the invitation. 🙋
  29. 44. Goes nuts for — Answer: EATSUP. Hint: Devours something with great enthusiasm. 😋
  30. 46. Around — Answer: CIRCA. Hint: Use this preposition for an approximate date. 📅
  31. 47. Garden-variety — Answer: USUAL. Hint: Something ordinary or typical fits this description. 🌱
  32. 48. Wasn't paying attention — Answer: SLEPT. Hint: Missed what was happening because attention wandered. 😴
  33. 50. Lauder of cosmetics — Answer: ESTEE. Hint: This beauty mogul is known for her iconic skincare and makeup line! 💄
  34. 52. Designer Cassini — Answer: OLEG. Hint: The fashion designer shared a name with a famous astronomer’s probe. 👗
  35. 54. "I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan Jett — Answer: AINT. Hint: The lyric insists that the singer refuses to change. 🎸
  36. 55. N.F.L. commentator Collinsworth — Answer: CRIS. Hint: This longtime football analyst joins the broadcast booth. 🏈
  37. 56. Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g. — Answer: ESPY. Hint: It is a sports award honoring remarkable courage. 🏆
  38. 59. Letter after chi — Answer: PSI. Hint: In the Greek alphabet, this follows chi. 🔤
  39. 60. The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr. — Answer: STD. Hint: In this time-zone abbreviation, it stands for “standard.” ⏰

Recent NYT Crossword Answers

The last 7 days of solutions

NYT Crossword 19 August 2026NYT Crossword 18 August 2026NYT Crossword 17 August 2026NYT Crossword 16 August 2026NYT Crossword 15 August 2026NYT Crossword 14 August 2026NYT Crossword 13 August 2026

Here are the NYT Crossword answers for Thursday, August 20, 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 August 20?” 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 August 20, 2026

The full solution for the August 20 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 Thursday, August 20.

Full NYT Crossword answer list for August 20, 2026

Every clue from the August 20 grid next to its solution — the same answers as the board above, in one plain list you can scan without tapping.

Across

#ClueAnswer
1Sound like heavenHARP
5Game of observation for travelSAFARI
11Ad freePSA
14Brief in pantsTROU
15Correct thoroughlySPOTON
16Bad feelAIL
17Try to place connoisseurs?TASTINGROOM
19Cells in compoundRNA
20Checks with stylePLAID
21To copOWN
22Competition, for startersATEAM
24York ___NUEVA
26Place recordingSTUDIO
27Signals over gameHORNS
29Maturity approachingRIPER
31Crows to relativesRAVENS
32Free boozeDRY
33Confidentiality of letters?NDAS
37"Done well"BRAVO
38Short for "info flight"ETA
39Sponge bathLOOFA
40Nothing doingIDLE
41Say "minus C"MEH
42Set offDEFRAY
43Practice JapaneseREIKI
45Equal roughlyONPAR
46Into lightCUSSAT
49Nags about noise?NEIGH
51Land of SpotISLET
52On-off signsOKS
53Lines some over drawTRACE
57For repentance some feelRUE
58Details insignificant contestsSPLITSHAIRS
61Spending limits itCAP
62Forum discussion, popular onceUSENET
63Cut shortSNIP
64Rock-___ALT
65Out with ate, ate, atePIGGED
66Website gift customETSY

Down

#ClueAnswer
1URL starterHTTP
2Asian sea currently undergoing replenishment effortsARAL
3Civil rights icon ParksROSA
4Shift the gears of, in a way ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across cluesPUTINREVERSE
5ID in some data breachesSSN
6Elite H.S. class covering the ConstitutionAPGOV
7Visionary ... or what you'll need to return to when solving this puzzle's Down cluesFORWARDTHINKING
8LoadsATON
9Babe in the Hundred Acre WoodROO
10One advocated for by the National Prison ProjectINMATE
11Whittled (down)PARED
12Biblical mountSINAI
13It's worth remembering!ALAMO
18"No idea"IDUNNO
23Distinctive expression ... or a hint to this puzzle's Across cluesTURNOFPHRASE
25Feature of San Francisco's Lombard StreetESS
26Mole, e.g.SPY
27FirmHARD
28Like many cricket fieldsOVAL
30Plan to contribute to, for shortIRA
31One of 1,909 for Willie Mays, for shortRBI
34"___ the Explorer"DORA
35Some distance awayAFAR
36DeclareSAY
38"Oh no! A mouse!"EEK
39What the second number indicates in men's jeans sizesLENGTH
41Univ. with an annual Mystery HuntMIT
42Eager response to "Wanna join?"DOI
44Goes nuts forEATSUP
46AroundCIRCA
47Garden-varietyUSUAL
48Wasn't paying attentionSLEPT
50Lauder of cosmeticsESTEE
52Designer CassiniOLEG
54"I don't really care / If ya think I'm strange / I ___ gonna change": Joan JettAINT
55N.F.L. commentator CollinsworthCRIS
56Arthur Ashe Courage Award, e.g.ESPY
59Letter after chiPSI
60The "S" of E.S.T.: Abbr.STD

Hints for the August 20 puzzle

Not ready for the full answer? Here are lighter, spoiler-free nudges for that day's grid, above the solutions. The August 20 puzzle fell on a Thursday, 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 Thursday 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 August 20, 2026?

Every answer for the Thursday, August 20, 2026 NYT Crossword is listed at the top of this page — the confirmed grid as published that day.

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Today's live puzzle is on our NYT Crossword answers today page, updated the moment each new grid goes live.

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Use the previous/next links above to step day by day, or open the today page to browse the full dated archive.

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