By Jack Hatchett

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Across

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Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. "Oh, what the hell" — Answer: SCREWIT. Hint: A two-word shrug of reckless resignation. 🤷
  2. 8. Mythical figure in "Doctor Faustus" — Answer: HELEN. Hint: The legendary beauty summoned by Faust. 🏛️
  3. 13. Worrier's words — Answer: IHOPENOT. Hint: A nervous prediction’s pessimistic refrain. 😬
  4. 15. Like a parkour practitioner — Answer: AGILE. Hint: Quick, nimble, and ready to vault over obstacles. 🏃
  5. 16. Politician's response, maybe — Answer: NONANSWER. Hint: A carefully evasive reply that says little. 🤔
  6. 18. Step in the shower — Answer: RINSE. Hint: A quick wash to remove soap. 🚿
  7. 19. Christian ___ — Answer: ERA. Hint: The historical dating system associated with the birth of Jesus. ✝️
  8. 20. Beamed over — Answer: TELEPORTED. Hint: Sent instantly from one location to another, sci-fi style. ✨
  9. 22. "Would ya look at that ..." — Answer: WELLWELLWELL. Hint: A three-part expression of surprised, often amused notice. 👀
  10. 25. Milieu for bathyspheres, with "the" — Answer: DEEPS. Hint: The dark ocean depths explored by underwater vessels. 🌊
  11. 26. "Ignorance is bliss," e.g. — Answer: OLDSAW. Hint: A familiar proverb passed down through generations. 📜
  12. 29. Compañeras — Answer: AMIGAS. Hint: Spanish-speaking girlfriends or female friends. 👯
  13. 31. Rabbit's title — Answer: BRER. Hint: The folksy honorific often placed before a certain trickster rabbit’s name. 🐰
  14. 32. Lead-in to field or fifties — Answer: MID. Hint: This prefix can describe a playing area or the middle of a decade. 🏟️
  15. 34. Big house — Answer: MANOR. Hint: A grand country residence with plenty of rooms. 🏰
  16. 35. ___ polo (sport played in Pakistan) — Answer: YAK. Hint: Fill this blank with the shaggy animal associated with this unusual polo variant. 🐂
  17. 36. Asteroids system — Answer: ATARI. Hint: The classic arcade company behind the coin-operated space shooter. 🕹️
  18. 38. Flame proof? — Answer: ASH. Hint: What remains after fire has finished its work, in a punny sense. 🔥
  19. 39. ___ collar — Answer: ETON. Hint: A crisp, wide style of neckwear named for an English school. 👔
  20. 41. Yellow-and-black ideogram — Answer: SMILEY. Hint: A cheerful round face used to convey emotion in text or signs. 🙂
  21. 42. World's second-most-populous island — Answer: HONSHU. Hint: Think of Japan’s most populous main island, home to Tokyo and Kyoto. 🗾
  22. 44. Hosting, informally — Answer: MCING. Hint: This informal verb describes running the mic at an event. 🎤
  23. 45. They might raise your kids — Answer: BOOSTERSEATS. Hint: These safety supports give smaller passengers a lift in the car. 🚗
  24. 49. "Easy-peasy!" — Answer: ITSABREEZE. Hint: This cheerful phrase says something is wonderfully easy. 🌬️
  25. 52. Customizable avatar for Nintendo games — Answer: MII. Hint: Nintendo’s customizable little digital person fits here. 🎮
  26. 53. Natural exfoliant — Answer: LOOFA. Hint: Find this scrubby bath item growing on a vine. 🛁
  27. 54. Houdini specialty — Answer: ESCAPEACT. Hint: Think of a performer’s carefully staged feat of getting free. 🔓
  28. 57. Flower in a Whitman poem written as an elegy for Lincoln — Answer: LILAC. Hint: Whitman’s Lincoln elegy famously names this fragrant spring bloom. 🌸
  29. 58. Kim Cattrall's role on "Sex and the City" — Answer: SAMANTHA. Hint: Kim Cattrall played this confident, outspoken Manhattan friend. 📺
  30. 59. Move stealthily — Answer: SLINK. Hint: Picture a cat moving quietly and cautiously. 🐈
  31. 60. Setting for an uphill climb — Answer: LOWGEAR. Hint: A steep ascent may call for this driving setting. 🚙

Down

  1. 1. Certain elastic band — Answer: SINEW. Hint: This tough connective tissue can also mean muscular strength. 💪
  2. 2. Washing the dishes, e.g. — Answer: CHORE. Hint: Dishwashing is a classic example of this household task. 🧽
  3. 3. Brazilian soccer star known for his dribbling flair — Answer: RONALDINHO. Hint: Recall the Brazilian magician celebrated for dazzling footwork. ⚽
  4. 4. Org. that might do some spring cleaning? — Answer: EPA. Hint: This U.S. environmental agency might tackle nature’s mess. 🌱
  5. 5. Actress Ming-Na of "Mulan" — Answer: WEN. Hint: The actress who voiced Mulan has this surname. 🎬
  6. 6. Shoe fitting concerns — Answer: INSTEPS. Hint: These parts of the foot can make shoe fit tricky. 👟
  7. 7. Golf bag attachments — Answer: TOWELS. Hint: Golfers often clip these handy cleaning cloths to their bags. ⛳
  8. 8. Frequent collaborator with Bill Murray — Answer: HAROLDRAMIS. Hint: Think of the actor-director behind several Murray comedies. 🎥
  9. 9. Members of a Gen Z subculture with online origins — Answer: EGIRLS. Hint: These online-born Gen Z trendsetters have a distinctive digital style. 🖥️
  10. 10. Screen capture? — Answer: LINT. Hint: A tiny fuzzy culprit might get caught by a fabric filter 📸
  11. 11. Choice word — Answer: ELSE. Hint: Use it when presenting an alternative option 🔀
  12. 12. Sine qua non — Answer: NEED. Hint: It is the indispensable thing you cannot do without 🧩
  13. 14. Something read at a table — Answer: TELL. Hint: In poker, it may reveal more than your cards 🃏
  14. 17. Overhaul — Answer: REWORK. Hint: Give it a thorough redo rather than a quick touch-up 🔧
  15. 21. Creator of the Hawaiian Islands, in myth — Answer: PELE. Hint: This fiery goddess is credited with shaping Hawaii 🌋
  16. 23. Building block — Answer: LEGO. Hint: A colorful interlocking piece for young architects 🧱
  17. 24. "Our luck has turned!" — Answer: WEARESOBACK. Hint: A triumphant declaration that the bad times are over 🎉
  18. 27. Blend — Answer: AMALGAMATE. Hint: Combine separate ingredients into one mixture 🥣
  19. 28. Word with live or chicken — Answer: WIRE. Hint: It can precede both familiar terms in common phrases 🔌
  20. 29. Residency org. — Answer: AMA. Hint: Medical residents may turn to this national physicians’ association 🩺
  21. 30. Brewing stuff — Answer: MASH. Hint: Crushed grain steeped in hot water starts the brewing process 🍺
  22. 31. Outlaw — Answer: BAN. Hint: To forbid something officially by law is to do this 🚫
  23. 33. Unprofessional letters? — Answer: DIY. Hint: Think of projects you tackle on your own at home! 🛠️
  24. 35. "The thing is ..." — Answer: YOUSEE. Hint: A conversational phrase used to introduce an explanation 💬
  25. 37. Sticking point — Answer: TINE. Hint: A sharp prong on a fork has this name 🍴
  26. 40. Lightning conductor? — Answer: THOR. Hint: A thunder god makes a shocking pun for this clue ⚡
  27. 41. Rock subgenre portmanteau — Answer: SCREAMO. Hint: A noisy fusion of hardcore intensity and emotional vocals 🤘
  28. 43. Jazz aficionado, e.g. — Answer: NBAFAN. Hint: A supporter of Utah’s professional basketball club fits this playful label 🏀
  29. 44. Spirit seen on el Día de los Muertos — Answer: MEZCAL. Hint: This agave-based liquor may appear in a celebratory Mexican offering 🥃
  30. 46. The 12th crew member in "Ocean's Twelve" — Answer: TESS. Hint: Julia Roberts portrays this character, completing the crew’s count 🎬
  31. 47. Women's Basketball Hall-of-Famer Penicheiro — Answer: TICHA. Hint: Her nickname belongs to a Portuguese basketball legend 🏀
  32. 48. Electric instrument played on Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" — Answer: SITAR. Hint: Think of the plucked Indian string instrument adding a distinctive sound to the song. 🎶
  33. 49. Afflictions — Answer: ILLS. Hint: These are ailments or troubles that can make someone feel unwell. 🤒
  34. 50. Work like a dog — Answer: TOIL. Hint: This means to work very hard, often for long hours. 💪
  35. 51. Star turns at a concert — Answer: SOLI. Hint: These are featured performances by individual musicians. 🎤
  36. 55. Print maker — Answer: PAW. Hint: An animal can leave this kind of mark behind. 🐾
  37. 56. Subj. with two A.P. exams — Answer: ENG. Hint: This school subject is often abbreviated in course schedules and has two Advanced Placement tests. 📚

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 (Sat, Aug 29, 2:10 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 28, 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 28, 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.