All NYT Down Clues October 16, 2025 - 39 Vertical Answers with Hints
Quick Summary: Today's NYT Crossword has 39 Down clues. We have all the vertical answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!
Related Puzzles: August 12 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | August 05 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | June 22 2021 NYT Clues Solutions |
About Today's Down Clues
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | October 16, 2025 |
| Day of Week | Thursday |
| Total Down Clues | 39 clues |
| Direction | Vertical (Top to Bottom) |
| Difficulty | Tricky |
All Down Clues - Complete List
Here are all 39 Down clues for today's puzzle. These go vertically from top to bottom.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 1. Bolt |
| 2 Down | 2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction |
| 3 Down | 3. *Conspicuous |
| 4 Down | 4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know |
| 5 Down | 5. Level-ending foe |
| 6 Down | 6. Educated guess: Abbr. |
| 7 Down | 7. Sgt., e.g. |
| 8 Down | 8. Like lemon curd |
| 9 Down | 9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names |
| 10 Down | 10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor |
| 11 Down | 11. "Copy me" |
| 12 Down | 12. Runner Down Under |
| 13 Down | 13. Certain heir |
| 14 Down | 18. Make in the end |
| 15 Down | 22. Steady humming sounds |
| 16 Down | 24. Locale for catfish or carp |
| 17 Down | 25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix |
| 18 Down | 27. Spanish 101 verb |
| 19 Down | 28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short? |
| 20 Down | 30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth" |
| 21 Down | 31. Prefix with botanist |
| 22 Down | 33. "Sure … if you say so" |
| 23 Down | 35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle |
| 24 Down | 36. Profess |
| 25 Down | 37. Something Lincoln once led, for short |
| 26 Down | 38. Italian time unit |
| 27 Down | 39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points |
| 28 Down | 41. *Book addenda |
| 29 Down | 42. Chicken ___ |
| 30 Down | 43. Thrive |
| 31 Down | 46. Narrow channel |
| 32 Down | 48. Derisive look |
| 33 Down | 49. OB/GYN offering |
| 34 Down | 51. Crisply shown, as on TV |
| 35 Down | 52. Wooded valley |
| 36 Down | 53. Coop |
| 37 Down | 54. Performed amazingly, in slang |
| 38 Down | 56. Id's counterpart |
| 39 Down | 57. The First State: Abbr. |
Detailed Hints and Answers for All Down Clues
Need help? Here are comprehensive hints and answers for each Down clue. Also check these helpful guides:
- May 11 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
- June 22 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- August 05 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- December 28 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
Complete Down Solutions:
1 Down: "1. Bolt"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: A_____D
- Similar words: make off, bolt
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 1
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ABSCOND
2 Down: "2. Certain Windows hard drive malfunction"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: I_____R
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 2
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
IOERROR
3 Down: "3. *Conspicuous"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 10 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: N________E
- Similar words: obtrusive, detectable
- Opposite of: unnoticeable
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: capable or worthy of being perceived
- This is Down clue number 3
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NOTICEABLE
4 Down: "4. Stupid stuff it's fun to know"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: T____A
- Similar words: trivium, trifle
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: something of small importance
- This is Down clue number 4
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TRIVIA
5 Down: "5. Level-ending foe"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: B__S
- Similar words: brag, Bos
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a person who exercises control over workers
- This is Down clue number 5
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BOSS
6 Down: "6. Educated guess: Abbr."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: Eastern Time
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: standard time in the 5th time zone west of Greenwich
- This is Down clue number 6
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EST
7 Down: "7. Sgt., e.g."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'O'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 7
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NCO
8 Down: "8. Like lemon curd"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: T___Y
- Similar words: tart, lemonlike
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: tasting sour like a lemon
- This is Down clue number 8
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TANGY
9 Down: "9. Preceder of "Bites" and "Bars" in commercial names"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: O__O
- Similar words: oreo cookie
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: chocolate cookie with white cream filling
- This is Down clue number 9
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
OREO
10 Down: "10. *Chance to meet one-on-one with a professor"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 11 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: O_________S
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 10
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
OFFICEHOURS
11 Down: "11. "Copy me""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: D_____O
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 11
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DOASIDO
12 Down: "12. Runner Down Under"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'U'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 12
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EMU
13 Down: "13. Certain heir"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'N'
- Similar words: Word, boy
- Opposite of: girl
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a male human offspring
- This is Down clue number 13
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SON
14 Down: "18. Make in the end"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T'
- Similar words: profits, cyberspace
- Opposite of: gross
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 14
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
NET
15 Down: "22. Steady humming sounds"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: T____S
- Similar words: hum, thrum
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a thrumming sound
- This is Down clue number 15
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
THRUMS
16 Down: "24. Locale for catfish or carp"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: P__D
- Similar words: pool
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a small lake
- This is Down clue number 16
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
POND
17 Down: "25. What allows Neo to disconnect from the Matrix"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: R_____L
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 17
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
REDPILL
18 Down: "27. Spanish 101 verb"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'R'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 18
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SER
19 Down: "28. Whom you might greet with open arms, for short?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'A'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 19
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TSA
20 Down: "30. Novelist Charles who wrote "The Cloister and the Hearth""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: R___E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 20
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
READE
21 Down: "31. Prefix with botanist"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: P___O
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 21
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PALEO
22 Down: "33. "Sure … if you say so""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'W' and ends with 'K'
- Word pattern: W____K
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 22
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
WELLOK
23 Down: "35. Enjoys oneself uninhibitedly … or a punny title for this puzzle"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: R______T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 23
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ROCKSOUT
24 Down: "36. Profess"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: A__R
- Similar words: avow, verify
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: report or maintain
- This is Down clue number 24
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AVER
25 Down: "37. Something Lincoln once led, for short"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'P'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 25
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
GOP
26 Down: "38. Italian time unit"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'A'
- Similar words: bone, os
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a mouth or mouthlike opening
- This is Down clue number 26
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ORA
27 Down: "39. Card game with a winning score of 5,000 points"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: C_____A
- Similar words: meld, basket rummy
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 27
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CANASTA
28 Down: "41. *Book addenda"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 10 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A________S
- Similar words: cecal appendage, appendix
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 28
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
APPENDICES
29 Down: "42. Chicken ___"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: M_____A
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: dark sweet or semisweet dessert wine from Sicily
- This is Down clue number 29
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MARSALA
30 Down: "43. Thrive"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: P_____R
- Similar words: thrive, flourish
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 30
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PROSPER
31 Down: "46. Narrow channel"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: S____T
- Similar words: straits, pass
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 31
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
STRAIT
32 Down: "48. Derisive look"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: S___R
- Similar words: leer
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 32
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SNEER
33 Down: "49. OB/GYN offering"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'D'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 33
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
IUD
34 Down: "51. Crisply shown, as on TV"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: I__D
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 34
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
INHD
35 Down: "52. Wooded valley"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: D__L
- Similar words: dingle
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a small wooded hollow
- This is Down clue number 35
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DELL
36 Down: "53. Coop"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'N'
- Similar words: playpen, indite
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
- This is Down clue number 36
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PEN
37 Down: "54. Performed amazingly, in slang"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Similar words: eat up, deplete
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
- This is Down clue number 37
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ATE
38 Down: "56. Id's counterpart"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'O'
- Similar words: egotism, self-importance
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
- This is Down clue number 38
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
EGO
39 Down: "57. The First State: Abbr."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'L'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 39
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DEL
Expert Strategies for Solving Down Clues
Master the vertical clues with these professional tips:
Why Start with Down Clues?
- Down clues often reveal key letters for intersecting words
- Vertical patterns can unlock difficult sections
- Many prefixes and suffixes run vertically
- Down answers often help solve Across clues
Down Clue Patterns to Recognize
- Fill-in-the-blank clues: These are usually the easiest Down entries
- Prefixes and suffixes: Common word parts often run vertically
- Abbreviations: Look for clues with "Abbr." or shortened forms
- Plural indicators: Words ending in 'S' are common in Down
- Pop culture references: Names and titles often appear vertically
Time-Saving Down Techniques
| Technique | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Scan all Down first | Get a mental map of the vertical flow |
| Fill short Down words | 3-4 letter words are often prefixes or connectors |
| Use crossing letters | Across letters help confirm Down answers |
| Look for themes | Related Down answers often share a theme |
Frequently Asked Questions About Down Clues
What are Down clues in crossword puzzles?
Down clues are the vertical entries in a crossword puzzle that read from top to bottom. They're numbered and correspond to specific columns in the grid.
Should I solve Down or Across clues first?
Many solvers alternate between Down and Across clues to build momentum. Down clues can help unlock difficult sections by providing key intersecting letters. The best approach is to solve the clues you find easiest first, regardless of direction.
How many Down clues are in today's puzzle?
Today's NYT crossword has 39 Down clues.
Are Down clues easier than Across clues?
Neither direction is inherently easier. The difficulty depends on the specific clues and your knowledge. However, Down clues often contain helpful prefixes, suffixes, and word parts that can be easier to guess.
How do Down clues interact with Across clues?
Down and Across clues intersect at various points in the grid. Solving one can provide letters that help solve the other, making the puzzle easier as you progress.
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