By Adrian Johnson

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Crossword clues, hints, and answers

Across

  1. 1. Dish such as Germany's hasenpfeffer — Answer: RABBITSTEW. Hint: This hearty dish features slow-cooked meat in a savory sauce. 🍲
  2. 11. Set of 24 for a box jellyfish — Answer: EYES. Hint: This sea creature is unusually well equipped for seeing. 👀
  3. 15. "Hello?" follower — Answer: ANYONEHOME. Hint: A caller may ask this when no one answers the door. 🚪
  4. 16. Straight-up — Answer: REAL. Hint: Think genuine rather than exaggerated or fanciful. ✅
  5. 17. Beset by impossible circumstances — Answer: INEXTREMIS. Hint: This phrase describes a desperate, last-resort situation. 🆘
  6. 18. ___ noche (tonight, in Spanish) — Answer: ESTA. Hint: The Spanish word meaning “this” completes the phrase for tonight. 🇪🇸
  7. 19. "Let's talk about it afterward" — Answer: NOSPOILERS. Hint: A considerate request from someone avoiding plot details until later. 🤫
  8. 20. From scratch — Answer: ANEW. Hint: This means starting over with nothing preexisting. 🔄
  9. 21. Haul — Answer: LUG. Hint: To pull or carry something heavy with effort is to do this. 💪
  10. 22. Convinced of — Answer: SOLDON. Hint: If you are fully persuaded, you find an idea worthwhile. 💡
  11. 24. Benjamin Franklin invention of the 1780s — Answer: BIFOCALS. Hint: These spectacles let one pair serve both reading and distance vision. 👓
  12. 29. Hardly a luxury — Answer: NEED. Hint: This is a basic necessity, not an indulgence. 🧰
  13. 30. Fellow fellows — Answer: BRETHREN. Hint: This formal word can mean brothers or close comrades. 🤝
  14. 31. Net alternative — Answer: GROSS. Hint: On a paycheck, this figure appears before deductions. 💵
  15. 34. Mideast shrub with leaves that are chewed as a stimulant — Answer: QAT. Hint: Chewed leaves from this shrub provide a stimulating effect in parts of East Africa and Arabia. 🌿
  16. 35. It includes a series of stations — Answer: ROUTE. Hint: This is a path or itinerary connecting multiple stops. 🚌
  17. 38. "Lemme think ..." — Answer: UHH. Hint: This hesitant sound can fill a pause while someone searches for words. 🤔
  18. 39. Irreverence, of a sort — Answer: SNARK. Hint: This is a sharp, sarcastic kind of wit. 😏
  19. 42. Name shared by the locales of University of South Carolina and the University of Missouri — Answer: COLUMBIA. Hint: This name belongs to both a South Carolina city and a Missouri city. 🗺️
  20. 45. What might wind up in your mattress? — Answer: COIL. Hint: A spring-shaped piece of metal could end up inside it. 🛏️
  21. 47. Refrain from foul language, say — Answer: KEEPITPG. Hint: A parent might use this phrase to request cleaner speech. 🤐
  22. 48. Follow around — Answer: SHADOW. Hint: Think of what a persistent companion does wherever you go. 👣
  23. 50. Portal released concurrently with Windows 95 — Answer: MSN. Hint: Recall Microsoft's online service launched alongside that iconic operating system. 💻
  24. 51. Many a guest writer's piece — Answer: OPED. Hint: A guest contributor often submits an opinion editorial. 📰
  25. 52. Genetically rare feline that represents autumn in Chinese astronomy — Answer: WHITETIGER. Hint: Look to the rare cat symbol associated with the western autumn sky in Chinese tradition. 🐅
  26. 58. Tied up with? — Answer: DREW. Hint: This playful answer describes a contest that ended even. ⚖️
  27. 59. It's commonly made upside down — Answer: BANANACAKE. Hint: This dessert places a familiar yellow fruit beneath the batter while baking. 🍌
  28. 60. ___ Lydic of "The Daily Show" — Answer: DESI. Hint: Supply the comedian and correspondent's first name. 🎙️
  29. 61. "This is a travesty!" — Answer: IMOUTRAGED. Hint: It is a theatrical declaration from someone protesting fiercely. 😤
  30. 62. Acknowledged — Answer: SEEN. Hint: A brief confirmation shows that a message was noticed. 👀
  31. 63. "Relax, it'll be fine" — Answer: DONTSTRESS. Hint: This reassuring phrase tells someone not to worry. 😌

Down

  1. 1. "Into each life some ___ must fall": Longfellow — Answer: RAIN. Hint: Longfellow fills the quotation with a kind of weather. 🌧️
  2. 2. Common word in Latin dating — Answer: ANNO. Hint: Look for the Latin term meaning “in the year” before a date. 📅
  3. 3. Tournament passes? — Answer: BYES. Hint: In a bracket, these let competitors advance without playing a round. 🏆
  4. 4. Analytical graphic that divides data into quartiles — Answer: BOXPLOT. Hint: This statistical display combines a rectangle, median, quartiles, and often whiskers. 📊
  5. 5. Having communication — Answer: INTOUCH. Hint: Someone maintaining regular communication is described this way. 📞
  6. 6. She played Sandy Lester in "Tootsie" — Answer: TERIGARR. Hint: Identify the actress who portrayed Sandy Lester in the comedy about an actor's disguise. 🎬
  7. 7. Author Silverstein — Answer: SHEL. Hint: The children's poet behind “Where the Sidewalk Ends” used a famously brief first name. 📚
  8. 8. "As I see it ..." — Answer: TOME. Hint: This phrase introduces a speaker's personal viewpoint. 🤔
  9. 9. Many members of Kuwait's al-Sabah royal line — Answer: EMIRS. Hint: These titleholders are rulers or princes in Arabic-speaking realms. 👑
  10. 10. Crisco competitor — Answer: WESSON. Hint: This cooking-oil brand shares shelf space with the shortening giant. 🛒
  11. 11. Volume control device? — Answer: EREADER. Hint: It manages a book collection without needing a bookshelf. 📚
  12. 12. "Absolutely, positively!" — Answer: YESNODOUBT. Hint: This emphatic phrase leaves no room for uncertainty. ✅
  13. 13. Down the hatch, perhaps — Answer: EATEN. Hint: Whatever goes down the hatch may soon be consumed. 🍽️
  14. 14. Popular topping for fish tacos — Answer: SLAW. Hint: Its cool, crunchy texture balances spicy fish tacos. 🌮
  15. 23. Segment — Answer: LEG. Hint: A portion of a whole—or part of a journey—is this. 🧩
  16. 24. Smoking events, for short — Answer: BBQS. Hint: These abbreviated cookouts often fill the air with smoky goodness. 🔥
  17. 25. Major exporter of pistachios — Answer: IRAN. Hint: This country is a major source of the green, shell-covered snack. 🥜
  18. 26. Tidbits of Greek culture? — Answer: FETACHEESE. Hint: These Greek morsels crumble nicely over salads. 🧀
  19. 27. Francis's successor — Answer: LEO. Hint: The current pope followed Francis in the papal line. ⛪
  20. 28. Dipped (out) — Answer: SNUCK. Hint: It means slipped away quietly, often before anyone noticed. 🤫
  21. 32. Icebreaker, e.g. — Answer: SHIP. Hint: This can split frozen water—or start a conversation. 🚢
  22. 33. Iconic hairstyle of Jane Fonda and Stevie Nicks — Answer: SHAG. Hint: This feathered, layered cut was a signature look for both stars. ✂️
  23. 36. Support while "en pointe" — Answer: TOE. Hint: A ballerina relies on this tiny body part while dancing on tiptoe. 🩰
  24. 37. I, O, U and Y, but not A or E — Answer: ELEMENTS. Hint: In this set, four letters qualify while two are left out. 🔤
  25. 40. Success in another's field, say — Answer: ROADWIN. Hint: A team can celebrate this after triumphing away from home. 🏆
  26. 41. Engage in tomfoolery — Answer: KID. Hint: To toy with someone or act silly is to do this. 😄
  27. 43. Arriviste — Answer: UPSTART. Hint: A newcomer who acts overly ambitious may earn this label. 🚀
  28. 44. Subcompact vehicle — Answer: MINICAR. Hint: This tiny automobile is built for tight city parking. 🚗
  29. 46. Contract winner, typically — Answer: LOWBID. Hint: The job often goes to the contractor offering the cheapest acceptable proposal. 📄
  30. 48. Binge — Answer: SPREE. Hint: A wild bout of spending or indulgence 🎉
  31. 49. Maker of the Hacky Sack and Hula-Hoop — Answer: WHAMO. Hint: This toy company brought playful classics to backyards everywhere 🪀
  32. 51. The longer they are, the harder they'll be to beat — Answer: ODDS. Hint: These chances become less favorable as they grow 📈
  33. 53. Part of — Answer: INON. Hint: A compact phrase meaning included or involved 🧩
  34. 54. Lacking slack — Answer: TAUT. Hint: Pulled tight with no looseness to spare. 🪢
  35. 55. Greenish plum variety — Answer: GAGE. Hint: A small, sweet plum with greenish skin 🍑
  36. 56. Barely makes (out) — Answer: EKES. Hint: Manages something with just enough effort to get by 😅
  37. 57. Wine list header — Answer: REDS. Hint: Look here for the ruby-colored selections 🍷

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 22, 10:10 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 22, 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.

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 22, 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.