Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (31 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (31 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky
Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!
Across Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 1. Doves | 9 |
| 2A | 10. The practice of growing plants without soil | 11 |
| 3A | 12. Dive | 13 |
| 4A | 14. Noted surname in punk rock | 6 |
| 5A | 15. Add to a chorus of criticism | 6 |
| 6A | 17. What might get filled up around dinnertime | 4 |
| 7A | 18. Speak recklessly, with "off" | 5 |
| 8A | 22. Tip of Baja? | 4 |
| 9A | 23. Sourdough starter component | 5 |
| 10A | 25. Bunk | 3 |
| 11A | 26. Tree that can clone itself | 5 |
| 12A | 27. Basic logic gate | 3 |
| 13A | 28. Tombstone setting | 7 |
| 14A | 31. Connection letters | 3 |
| 15A | 32. Display option, in brief | 3 |
| 16A | 33. Get up and down, maybe, in golf | 7 |
| 17A | 34. N.F.L. tight end Stowers | 3 |
| 18A | 35. Attribution word | 3 |
| 19A | 36. Playful banter | 7 |
| 20A | 37. Crossword clue type | 3 |
| 21A | 38. Singer who had us at "Hello"? | 5 |
| 22A | 40. Familia member | 3 |
| 23A | 41. Ball game in which you call your shots | 5 |
| 24A | 43. "Following that ..." | 4 |
| 25A | 44. International intelligence community? | 5 |
| 26A | 46. What might get filled up around dinnertime | 4 |
| 27A | 47. Ovid's "our" | 6 |
| 28A | 49. Exemption | 6 |
| 29A | 51. Barrier to entry at a top-secret facility | 13 |
| 30A | 55. Easily moved, maybe | 11 |
| 31A | 56. Descriptor of a sleek kitchen material | 9 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Doves"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who prefers negotiations to armed conflict in the conduct of foreign relations
- Similar words include: peacenik, dove
- Opposite of: hawk
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEACENIKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "10. The practice of growing plants without soil"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a technique of growing plants (without soil) in water containing dissolved nutrients
- Similar words include: aquiculture, tank farming
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HYDROPONICS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "12. Dive"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOLEINTHEWALL
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4A: "14. Noted surname in punk rock"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMONE
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5A: "15. Add to a chorus of criticism"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PILEON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "17. What might get filled up around dinnertime"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that kitchen appliance used for baking or roasting
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "18. Speak recklessly, with "off""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an opening that allows the passage of liquids or grain
- Similar words include: rabbit on, rave, spirt
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPOUT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "22. Tip of Baja?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the basic unit of money in uruguay; equal to 100 centesimos
- Similar words include: Uruguayan peso, Cuban peso, Chilean peso
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PESO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "23. Sourdough starter component"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey
- Similar words include: barm
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEAST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "25. Bunk"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
- Similar words include: bunk, decomposition, hogwash
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "26. Tree that can clone itself"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of several trees of the genus populus having leaves on flattened stalks so that they flutter in the lightest wind
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASPEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "27. Basic logic gate"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "28. Tombstone setting"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a state in southwestern united states; site of the grand canyon
- Similar words include: Grand Canyon State, AZ, genus Arizona
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARIZONA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "31. Connection letters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a generic name for digital lines that are provided by telephone companies to their local subscribers and that carry data at high speeds
- Similar words include: digital subscriber line
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DSL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "32. Display option, in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
- Similar words include: conduct, chair, precede
- Opposite of: follow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LED
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16A: "33. Get up and down, maybe, in golf"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAVEPAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "34. N.F.L. tight end Stowers"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELI
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18A: "35. Attribution word"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PER
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19A: "36. Playful banter"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
- Similar words include: rally, vexatious, bothersome
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEASING
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "37. Crossword clue type"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a humorous play on words
- Similar words include: punning, wordplay, paronomasia
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PUN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "38. Singer who had us at "Hello"?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADELE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "40. Familia member"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that brief episode in which the brain gets insufficient blood supply; symptoms depend on the site of the blockage
- Similar words include: transient ischemic attack
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "41. Ball game in which you call your shots"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
- Similar words include: gymnastic horse, sawbuck, Equus caballus
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HORSE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "43. "Following that ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IFSO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "44. International intelligence community?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a faint constellation in the polar region of the southern hemisphere and containing part of the large magellanic cloud
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENSA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "46. What might get filled up around dinnertime"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that usually small round bread that can open into a pocket for filling
- Similar words include: pocket bread
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PITA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "47. Ovid's "our""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSTRA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "49. Exemption"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a formal written statement of relinquishment
- Similar words include: release, discharge
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAIVER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "51. Barrier to entry at a top-secret facility"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RETINASCANNER
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30A: "55. Easily moved, maybe"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that easily moved to pity or sorrow
- Similar words include: soft-boiled
- Opposite of: hardhearted
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFTHEARTED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "56. Descriptor of a sleek kitchen material"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that steel containing chromium that makes it resistant to corrosion
- Similar words include: unstained, chromium steel, untainted
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAINLESS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Bridge supporters | 6 |
| 2D | 2. Perfect place to be | 4 |
| 3D | 3. Butter up? | 5 |
| 4D | 4. Sting | 3 |
| 5D | 5. Opposite of 7-Down, humorously | 3 |
| 6D | 6. Cousin of kabuki | 3 |
| 7D | 7. Like Inspector Clouseau, despite all of his successes | 5 |
| 8D | 8. Nickname for the New Zealand dollar | 4 |
| 9D | 9. Ubiquitous head coverings | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Mail destinations | 13 |
| 11D | 11. Like many new parents | 13 |
| 12D | 12. Require | 11 |
| 13D | 13. Becomes less interesting over time | 11 |
| 14D | 14. Major annoyance | 9 |
| 15D | 16. Not following a straight path | 9 |
| 16D | 19. Low rank | 7 |
| 17D | 20. Enters through the cracks | 7 |
| 18D | 21. Perfect places to be | 7 |
| 19D | 24. Likes and dislikes, collectively | 5 |
| 20D | 26. "So frustrating!" | 5 |
| 21D | 29. Norma who gave Sally Field her first Oscar | 3 |
| 22D | 30. Photographer Goldin | 3 |
| 23D | 39. Drawings of various states? | 6 |
| 24D | 42. Weighs in | 6 |
| 25D | 44. ___ ray | 5 |
| 26D | 45. Witting | 5 |
| 27D | 48. Falling-out | 4 |
| 28D | 50. Subjects of Pixar's second movie | 4 |
| 29D | 52. Meat in a sushi taco | 3 |
| 30D | 53. Cent : U.S. :: ___ : Japan | 3 |
| 31D | 54. West Coast univ. holding the record for most chemical elements discovered (16) | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Bridge supporters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a tower for guiding pilots or marking the turning point in a race
- Similar words include: pylon, power pylon
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PYLONS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Perfect place to be"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
- Similar words include: Shangri-la, heaven, Garden of Eden
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Butter up?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in aries
- Similar words include: Aries the Ram, Ram
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARIES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Sting"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an argument opposed to a proposal
- Similar words include: victimize, inmate, confidence game
- Opposite of: pro
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Opposite of 7-Down, humorously"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Cousin of kabuki"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Like Inspector Clouseau, despite all of his successes"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that not elegant or graceful in expression
- Similar words include: inapt, feckless, ill-chosen
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INEPT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Nickname for the New Zealand dollar"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that climbing vine native to china; cultivated in new zealand for its fuzzy edible fruit with green meat
- Similar words include: Actinidia deliciosa, Chinese gooseberry, New Zealander
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIWI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Ubiquitous head coverings"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the skin that covers the top of the head
- Similar words include: scalp
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCALPS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Mail destinations"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOMEADDRESSES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Like many new parents"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEPDEPRIVED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Require"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAVENEEDFOR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Becomes less interesting over time"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOSESLUSTER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "14. Major annoyance"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROYALPAIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "16. Not following a straight path"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that designating or involving an equation whose terms are not of the first degree
- Opposite of: linear
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NONLINEAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "19. Low rank"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an enlisted man of the lowest rank in the army or marines
- Similar words include: secret, individual, common soldier
- Opposite of: public
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRIVATE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "20. Enters through the cracks"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OOZESIN
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18D: "21. Perfect places to be"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a book written by sir thomas more (1516) describing the perfect society on an imaginary island
- Similar words include: Zion, Sion, Utopia
- Opposite of: dystopia
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UTOPIAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "24. Likes and dislikes, collectively"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the sensation that results when taste buds in the tongue and throat convey information about the chemical composition of a soluble stimulus
- Similar words include: sample, tasting, smack
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TASTE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "26. "So frustrating!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AARGH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "29. Norma who gave Sally Field her first Oscar"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "30. Photographer Goldin"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that your grandmother
- Similar words include: grandmother, gran, grandma
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "39. Drawings of various states?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a game in which numbered balls are drawn at random and players cover the corresponding numbers on their cards
- Similar words include: bingo, lotto, beano
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOTTOS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "42. Weighs in"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that express one's opinion openly and without fear or hesitation
- Similar words include: speak out, opine, animadvert
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPINES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "44. ___ ray"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a blanket that is used as a cloak or shawl
- Similar words include: manta ray, devilfish
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANTA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "45. Witting"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (sometimes followed by `of') having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
- Similar words include: cognizant, cognisant, mindful
- Opposite of: unaware, unmindful
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWARE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "48. Falling-out"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a gap between cloud masses
- Similar words include: breach, rupture, break
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIFT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "50. Subjects of Pixar's second movie"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
- Similar words include: ant, emmet, pismire
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "52. Meat in a sushi taco"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "53. Cent : U.S. :: ___ : Japan"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a fractional monetary unit of japan and indonesia and cambodia; equal to one hundredth of a yen or rupiah or riel
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "54. West Coast univ. holding the record for most chemical elements discovered (16)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Expert Solving Strategies
Start Smart
Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.
Decode the Clues
Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.
Use Cross-References
Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.
Build Vocabulary
Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.
Today's Puzzle Stats
31 Across Clues
31 Down Clues
62 Total Clues
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