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Friday, August 15, 2025

NYT Crossword ACROSS Clues Only | August 15 Horizontal Answers

NYT Crossword ACROSS Clues Only - Friday, August 15, 2025

Today's Across-Only Focus

Complete analysis of all 33 ACROSS clues from today's New York Times crossword puzzle. This across-only format helps solvers focus exclusively on horizontal entries, perfect for those who prefer to tackle one direction at a time.

Across Clues Statistics

Statistical Overview - Across Entries Only
Metric Value Details
Total Across Clues 33 All horizontal entries
Total Letters (Across) 191 Combined letter count
Average Word Length 5.8 Letters per answer
Shortest Answer 3 letters Minimum length
Longest Answer 15 letters Maximum length
Unique Letters Used 23 Distinct letters in across

Letter Frequency Analysis - Across Answers Only

Top 15 Most Frequent Letters in Today's Across Answers
E 25
13.09%
S 21
10.99%
A 17
8.9%
O 15
7.85%
T 14
7.33%
I 9
4.71%
N 9
4.71%
C 8
4.19%
D 8
4.19%
H 8
4.19%
L 8
4.19%
P 8
4.19%
R 8
4.19%
B 7
3.66%
M 7
3.66%

Difficulty Distribution of Across Clues

Difficulty Level Count Percentage Visual Representation
Easy 4 12.1%
Medium 20 60.6%
Hard 4 12.1%
Expert 5 15.2%

Complete List of Across Clues - All 33 Entries

Today's Across Clues with Comprehensive Hints
# Clue Length Category Hints & Tips Answer
1A 1. Like the culture depicted in Safiya Sinclair's best-selling memoir "How to Say Babylon" 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: R___A (First: R, Last: A)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: Rastafarian
Show Answer

RASTA
2A 6. English translation of the Dutch "klompen" 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: C___S (First: C, Last: S)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 4 consonants
  • Related words: choke off, clog up
Show Answer

CLOGS
3A 11. Robotic error message 14 Long Phrase
  • Pattern: D____________E (First: D, Last: E)
  • Contains 6 vowels and 8 consonants
  • Longer answer - might be a phrase
Show Answer

DOESNOTCOMPUTE
4A 15. Sooner rather than later 15 Long Phrase
  • Pattern: I_____________E (First: I, Last: E)
  • Contains 7 vowels and 8 consonants
  • Longer answer - might be a phrase
Show Answer

INTHENEARFUTURE
5A 17. Preps for a photo shoot, say 6 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: S____S (First: S, Last: S)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 5 consonants
  • Related words: mode, flair
Show Answer

STYLES
6A 18. Rest areas 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: S__S (First: S, Last: S)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: health spa, resort hotel
Show Answer

SPAS
7A 19. Engage in pugilism 3 Short Word
  • Pattern: B_X (First: B, Last: X)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: boxful, corner
Show Answer

BOX
8A 20. Rock alternative 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: P___R (First: P, Last: R)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: newspaper, composition
Show Answer

PAPER
9A 21. X, as in Mexico 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: B__O (First: B, Last: O)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
Show Answer

BESO
10A 22. In 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: C__C (First: C, Last: C)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: stylishness, smartness
Show Answer

CHIC
11A 23. Touching event? 4 Wordplay/Pun
  • Pattern: E__E (First: E, Last: E)
  • Contains 3 vowels and 1 consonants
  • Meaning: a fencing sword similar to a foil but with a heavier blade...
Show Answer

EPEE
12A 24. Forecast 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: B__E (First: B, Last: E)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: prognosticate, portend
Show Answer

BODE
13A 25. Some like it hot 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: S___E (First: S, Last: E)
  • Contains 3 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Meaning: flavorful relish or dressing or topping served as an accompaniment to food...
Show Answer

SAUCE
14A 26. Didn't follow 3 Short Word
  • Pattern: L_D (First: L, Last: D)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: go, pass
Show Answer

LED
15A 27. Itsy-bitsy 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: M__I (First: M, Last: I)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: miniskirt
Show Answer

MINI
16A 28. Like one part of the SAT 6 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: V____L (First: V, Last: L)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 4 consonants
  • Opposite of: numerical
Show Answer

VERBAL
17A 29. Typical yearbook photos 9 Entertainment
  • Pattern: H_______S (First: H, Last: S)
  • Contains 3 vowels and 6 consonants
  • Related words: headshot
Show Answer

HEADSHOTS
18A 31. Sisal and others 6 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: F____S (First: F, Last: S)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 4 consonants
  • Related words: roughage, fibre
Show Answer

FIBERS
19A 34. It can add up 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: M__H (First: M, Last: H)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: maths, mathematics
Show Answer

MATH
20A 35. A real piece of work 3 Short Word
  • Pattern: J_B (First: J, Last: B)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: farm out, business
Show Answer

JOB
21A 38. That feeling "when the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine" 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: A___E (First: A, Last: E)
  • Contains 3 vowels and 2 consonants
Show Answer

AMORE
22A 39. Word before piece and after peace 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: T__E (First: T, Last: E)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: clock time, clock
Show Answer

TIME
23A 40. Glazier's replacement 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: P__E (First: P, Last: E)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: superman, pane of glass
Show Answer

PANE
24A 41. Some sky lights, in brief 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: U__S (First: U, Last: S)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: UFO, unidentified flying object
Show Answer

UFOS
25A 42. Person with fire power 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: B__S (First: B, Last: S)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: Bos, foreman
Show Answer

BOSS
26A 43. Miso soup base 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: D___I (First: D, Last: I)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants
Show Answer

DASHI
27A 44. Director's cry 3 Short Word
  • Pattern: C_T (First: C, Last: T)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 2 consonants
  • Related words: trim, cutting off
Show Answer

CUT
28A 45. One of four suits in a tarot deck 4 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: C__S (First: C, Last: S)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: loving cup, cup
Show Answer

CUPS
29A 46. Source of schadenfreude? 6 Wordplay/Pun
  • Pattern: G____N (First: G, Last: N)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 4 consonants
  • Related words: High German, German language
Show Answer

GERMAN
30A 47. "Let me handle this" 15 Long Phrase
  • Pattern: I_____________G (First: I, Last: G)
  • Contains 5 vowels and 10 consonants
  • Longer answer - might be a phrase
Show Answer

ILLDOTHETALKING
31A 50. Small businesses that generally don't require permits 14 Long Phrase
  • Pattern: L____________S (First: L, Last: S)
  • Contains 5 vowels and 9 consonants
  • Longer answer - might be a phrase
Show Answer

LEMONADESTANDS
32A 51. Sensitive subject? 5 Wordplay/Pun
  • Pattern: G___T (First: G, Last: T)
  • Contains 1 vowels and 4 consonants
Show Answer

GSPOT
33A 52. Figure on the $10,000 bill, the largest U.S. note ever in public circulation 5 General Knowledge
  • Pattern: C___E (First: C, Last: E)
  • Contains 2 vowels and 3 consonants
  • Related words: give chase, furrow
Show Answer

CHASE

Category Analysis of Across Clues

Clue Categories Distribution
Category Count Percentage Examples
General Knowledge 21 63.6% RASTA (5), CLOGS (5)
Long Phrase 4 12.1% DOESNOTCOMPUTE (14), INTHENEARFUTURE (15)
Short Word 4 12.1% BOX (3), LED (3)
Wordplay/Pun 3 9.1% EPEE (4), GERMAN (6)
Entertainment 1 3.0% HEADSHOTS (9)

Across-Only Solving Strategy

Why Focus on Across Clues First?

  1. Reading Direction: Natural left-to-right reading makes across clues more intuitive
  2. Pattern Recognition: Horizontal words are easier to visualize and recognize
  3. Common Phrases: Many across entries are familiar phrases or compound words
  4. Fill Strategy: Completing across entries provides multiple crossing letters for down clues
  5. Theme Entries: Long theme answers are typically placed across

Recommended Solving Order

  • Step 1: Scan all across clues for obvious answers (fill-in-blanks, short words)
  • Step 2: Fill in 3-4 letter words - they're usually common crossword entries
  • Step 3: Look for themed or related answers that might connect
  • Step 4: Use first/last letter hints to narrow down possibilities
  • Step 5: Work on longer answers using crossing letters from completed short answers

Letter Frequency Insights

Based on today's across answers, focus on words containing the most frequent letters. This can help you make educated guesses when you're stuck.

Common NYT Crossword Across Words

These frequently appear in across positions:

Length Common Words
3 Letters ERA, ORE, ATE, ETA, ALE, AGE, ARE, ACE, APE, ART
4 Letters AREA, ARIA, ANTE, ELSE, ERIE, IDEA, ORAL, OVER, ALOE, ASAP
5 Letters ARENA, ALONE, ASIDE, EMAIL, ENTER, ERROR, ERASE, OPERA, OCEAN, ATONE
6 Letters ARISES, ERASES, EASTER, ESTATE, EASIER, ORACLE, AERATE, STEREO
7+ Letters ATLARGE, ONEARMED, ALIENATE, REARENDS, REHEARSE, SEPARATE

About This Across-Only Format

This specialized format presents only the horizontal (across) clues from the NYT crossword, allowing solvers to focus on one direction at a time. Many solvers find this approach less overwhelming and more systematic than jumping between across and down clues.

Related Resources

Disclaimer: This educational analysis focuses on across clues only. Puzzles and clues © The New York Times. Generated: August 15, 2025 at 11:59 AM

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