Search Clues

Showing posts sorted by date for query BAGEL. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query BAGEL. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Monday, July 13, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers July 13, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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: Challenging

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. Similar (to) 4
2A 5. Taters 5
3A 10. Whole bunch 4
4A 14. Titillating 4
5A 15. Over-the-top enthusiasm 5
6A 16. Ice cream holder 4
7A 17. Meccano offering for budding builders 10
8A 19. Taj Mahal city 4
9A 20. Catch red-handed 3
10A 21. Fairy tale fiend 4
11A 22. Ancient inhabitants of the Andes 5
12A 23. Ring-shaped coral reef 5
13A 25. Human's earliest phase, according to Freud 9
14A 28. Like the man on an annual People magazine cover 7
15A 30. Crimebuster 3
16A 31. Ann Patchett novel "___ Canto" 3
17A 32. Suffix with lemon or orange 3
18A 33. "Of course!" 3
19A 34. Relieves (of) 4
20A 35. Metaphorical Cold War barrier 11
21A 38. "Deadly" transgressions 4
22A 40. Structure for hydroelectric power 3
23A 41. Hypotheticals 3
24A 42. PC exit key 3
25A 43. No-good dog 3
26A 44. Watches on Hulu, say 7
27A 48. Small aircraft for short flights 9
28A 51. Beauty maven Lauder 5
29A 52. Three-note chord 5
30A 53. Christmas Eve service 4
31A 55. Laudatory verse 3
32A 56. Not as much 4
33A 57. Toys ... or the ends of 17-, 25-, 35- and 48-Across? 10
34A 60. Polish for publishing 4
35A 61. Treat for Winnie-the-Pooh 5
36A 62. "Begone!" 4
37A 63. Spoonful of medicine, maybe 4
38A 64. Water or rust, chemically 5
39A 65. One who saves the day 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Similar (to)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that similar in quality or character
  • Similar words include: blood-related, consanguineal, cognate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AKIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Taters"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an edible tuber native to south america; a staple food of ireland
  • Similar words include: white potato, potato, Irish potato
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPUDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Whole bunch"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: plenty, hatful, veer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Titillating"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that full of zest or vigor
  • Similar words include: rich, full-bodied, gamey
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RACY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Over-the-top enthusiasm"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an irrational but irresistible motive for a belief or action
  • Similar words include: manic disorder, passion, cacoethes
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Ice cream holder"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any cone-shaped artifact
  • Similar words include: conoid, retinal cone, strobile
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Meccano offering for budding builders"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERECTORSET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Taj Mahal city"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in northern india; former capital of the mogul empire; site of the taj mahal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Catch red-handed"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tag the base runner to get him out
  • Similar words include: nail, apprehend, collar
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Fairy tale fiend"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cruel wicked and inhuman person
  • Similar words include: monster, fiend, demon
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OGRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Ancient inhabitants of the Andes"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a ruler of the incas (or a member of his family)
  • Similar words include: Inka, Incan, Inca
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Ring-shaped coral reef"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island consisting of a circular coral reef surrounding a lagoon
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATOLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Human's earliest phase, according to Freud"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORALSTAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Like the man on an annual People magazine cover"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by or tending to arouse sexual desire or interest
  • Similar words include: aphrodisiac, sexy, aphrodisiacal
  • Opposite of: anaphrodisiac, unsexy
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEXIEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Crimebuster"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
  • Similar words include: copper, fuzz, thieve
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Ann Patchett novel "___ Canto""

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a logarithmic unit of sound intensity equal to 10 decibels
  • Similar words include: B
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Suffix with lemon or orange"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice
  • Similar words include: fruit drink
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. "Of course!""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an affirmative
  • Opposite of: no
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Relieves (of)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that relieve from
  • Similar words include: free, disembarrass, rid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Metaphorical Cold War barrier"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRONCURTAIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. "Deadly" transgressions"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that estrangement from god
  • Similar words include: goof, Sin, boob
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Structure for hydroelectric power"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
  • Similar words include: decameter, dyke, dam up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "41. Hypotheticals"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "42. PC exit key"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "43. No-good dog"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inferior dog or one of mixed breed
  • Similar words include: mongrel, mutt
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "44. Watches on Hulu, say"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a natural body of running water flowing on or under the earth
  • Similar words include: well out, current, pelt
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STREAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "48. Small aircraft for short flights"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an airplane with an external propeller that is driven by a turbojet engine
  • Similar words include: propjet, turbo-propeller plane
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TURBOPROP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "51. Beauty maven Lauder"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "52. Three-note chord"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
  • Similar words include: tierce, leash, three
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRIAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "53. Christmas Eve service"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
  • Similar words include: plenty, hatful, slew
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "55. Laudatory verse"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "56. Not as much"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (comparative of `little' usually used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning not as great in amount or degree
  • Similar words include: to a lesser extent
  • Opposite of: more
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "57. Toys ... or the ends of 17-, 25-, 35- and 48-Across?"

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an artifact designed to be played with
  • Similar words include: toy, plaything
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLAYTHINGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "60. Polish for publishing"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prepare for publication or presentation by correcting, revising, or adapting
  • Similar words include: delete, blue-pencil, redact
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "61. Treat for Winnie-the-Pooh"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sweet yellow liquid produced by bees
  • Similar words include: love, dear, dearest
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "62. "Begone!""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that singing jazz; the singer substitutes nonsense syllables for the words of the song and tries to sound like a musical instrument
  • Similar words include: take to the woods, break away, scarper
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "63. Spoonful of medicine, maybe"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time
  • Similar words include: dot, sexually transmitted disease, dosage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "64. Water or rust, chemically"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any compound of oxygen with another element or a radical
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OXIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "65. One who saves the day"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
  • Similar words include: zep, Cuban sandwich, hero sandwich
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Large venues 6
2D 2. Martial art in which folks get their kicks 6
3D 3. Refrigerator, quaintly 6
4D 4. Home of the Empire State Bldg. 3
5D 5. Unhealthy haze 4
6D 6. Mimic 6
7D 7. Indy racer Al or Bobby 5
8D 8. Yahtzee cube 3
9D 9. Was successful in musical chairs 3
10D 10. Minimal 5
11D 11. Woodsy abode 8
12D 12. Furious 7
13D 13. Sneaky types 7
14D 18. Ohio port on Lake Erie 6
15D 22. Co. with a lot of connections? 3
16D 24. Tall tale tellers 5
17D 26. Taiwanese computer giant 4
18D 27. Went ballistic 6
19D 29. Humorous parody 6
20D 33. "Dee-lish!" 3
21D 34. Expands, as dough with yeast 5
22D 35. Experiencing great difficulty 8
23D 36. Singer Vikki with three Grammys 4
24D 37. With a clean slate 6
25D 38. Avoided a trial, say 7
26D 39. Emphatic affirmative 7
27D 43. Common fish-and-chips fish 3
28D 44. Fixed at the vet 6
29D 45. Immediately 6
30D 46. Brooklyn's ___ Evers College 6
31D 47. Looks after 6
32D 49. Sew loosely 5
33D 50. Saudi neighbor 5
34D 54. Eyelid affliction 4
35D 57. Vietnamese soup with rice noodles 3
36D 58. Salmon on a bagel 3
37D 59. Suffix with bull or bear 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Large venues"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular environment or walk of life
  • Similar words include: arena, stadium, sphere
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARENAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Martial art in which folks get their kicks"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a traditional japanese system of unarmed combat; sharp blows and kicks are given to pressure-sensitive points on the body of the opponent
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KARATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Refrigerator, quaintly"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that white goods in which food can be stored at low temperatures
  • Similar words include: refrigerator
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICEBOX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Home of the Empire State Bldg."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Unhealthy haze"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that air pollution by a mixture of smoke and fog
  • Similar words include: smogginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Mimic"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that usually brightly colored zygodactyl tropical birds with short hooked beaks and the ability to mimic sounds
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Indy racer Al or Bobby"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNSER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Yahtzee cube"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small cube with 1 to 6 spots on the six faces; used in gambling to generate random numbers
  • Similar words include: decease, break, break down
  • Opposite of: be born
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Was successful in musical chairs"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the sabbath by jews and some christians
  • Similar words include: model, sit down, Sabbatum
  • Opposite of: arise, stand
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Minimal"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that work hastily or carelessly; deal with inadequately and superficially
  • Similar words include: light, skimp, stint
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCANT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Woodsy abode"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOGCABIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Furious"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put into a rage; make violently angry
  • Similar words include: enrage, infuriated, angered
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENRAGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Sneaky types"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is regarded as treacherous or sneaky
  • Similar words include: weasel
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEASELS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Ohio port on Lake Erie"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an industrial city in northwestern ohio on lake erie
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOLEDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Co. with a lot of connections?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Tall tale tellers"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
  • Similar words include: prevaricator, liar
  • Opposite of: square shooter
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Taiwanese computer giant"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that type genus of the aceraceae; trees or shrubs having winged fruit
  • Similar words include: genus Acer
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Went ballistic"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOSTIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Humorous parody"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
  • Similar words include: parody, mockery, put-on
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENDUP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "33. "Dee-lish!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "34. Expands, as dough with yeast"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a growth in strength or number or importance
  • Similar words include: raise, wage increase, rising
  • Opposite of: turn in, descent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RISES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Experiencing great difficulty"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INCRISIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. Singer Vikki with three Grammys"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. With a clean slate"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that again but in a new or different way
  • Similar words include: anew
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRESH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Avoided a trial, say"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that settle into a position, usually on a surface or ground
  • Similar words include: locate, reconcile, settle
  • Opposite of: float, unsettled
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETTLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Emphatic affirmative"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISUREDO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Common fish-and-chips fish"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
  • Similar words include: put on, codfish, tantalise
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Fixed at the vet"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove the ovaries of
  • Similar words include: neuter, spay, castrate
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAYED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Immediately"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATONCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Brooklyn's ___ Evers College"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEDGAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Looks after"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEESTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Sew loosely"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a loose temporary sewing stitch to hold layers of fabric together
  • Similar words include: batter, basting stitch, tack
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Saudi neighbor"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a native or inhabitant of oman
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMANI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "54. Eyelid affliction"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an infection of the sebaceous gland of the eyelid
  • Similar words include: hordeolum, sty, eye infection
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STYE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "57. Vietnamese soup with rice noodles"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "58. Salmon on a bagel"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a bluish translucent magnetic liquid obtained by compressing gaseous oxygen and then cooling it below its boiling point; used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants
  • Similar words include: liquid oxygen
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "59. Suffix with bull or bear"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISH

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

39 Across Clues
37 Down Clues
76 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out our comprehensive archive of NYT crossword hints and answers. We update daily with expert analysis and solving strategies.

Disclaimer: Crossword clues and grid © The New York Times. This site provides hints and educational content for puzzle enthusiasts. XWordHint is not affiliated with The New York Times.

Last updated: July 13, 2026 at 06:35 AM

Tuesday, April 28, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers April 28, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

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: 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. Sore 4
2A 5. Nail polish brand 3
3A 8. Some cantina fare 5
4A 13. "Hip hip hooray!," e.g. 5
5A 15. Sink-or-swim competition? 9
6A 17. Handles a few unresolved issues 15
7A 19. Like tears 6
8A 20. Site to build on 3
9A 21. Gossip, slangily 3
10A 22. Build on 5
11A 24. Welcome at the door, say 5
12A 27. Linguist's concern 7
13A 30. Serious in manner 5
14A 31. Bagel topping 3
15A 32. Not perfect, but acceptable 11
16A 36. Bickering 4
17A 38. Blade that's pulled 3
18A 39. Casual farewell often used outside its language of origin 4
19A 40. Station set up in a kitchen 11
20A 45. Bit of intel 3
21A 46. Coins of Cuba 5
22A 47. Ingredients in some tropical smoothies 7
23A 49. Foreign Service assignments 5
24A 50. Madrid mister 5
25A 51. Church seat 3
26A 52. Promise to pay 3
27A 54. Journalist, informally 6
28A 58. Like children, ideally, in an old adage ... or a hint to a four-letter word hidden in 17-, 32- and 40-Across 15
29A 62. Rigorous 9
30A 63. Astronomer Carl 5
31A 64. Irritable 5
32A 65. [As written] 3
33A 66. Civil rights activist Parks 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sore"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that causing a dull and steady pain
  • Similar words include: aching
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Nail polish brand"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "8. Some cantina fare"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (ethnic slur) offensive term for a person of mexican descent
  • Similar words include: greaser, wetback, taco
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TACOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "13. "Hip hip hooray!," e.g."

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cry or shout of approval
  • Similar words include: sunshine, barrack, jolly up
  • Opposite of: complain, dishearten
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Sink-or-swim competition?"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WATERPOLO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Handles a few unresolved issues"

15 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIESUPLOOSEENDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Like tears"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an isotonic solution of sodium chloride and distilled water
  • Similar words include: saline solution
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. Site to build on"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
  • Similar words include: quite a little, sight, band
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Gossip, slangily"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
  • Similar words include: Camellia sinensis, tea leaf, teatime
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Build on"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDTO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Welcome at the door, say"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASKIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "27. Linguist's concern"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRAMMAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "30. Serious in manner"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the rear part of a ship
  • Similar words include: posterior, unforgiving, exacting
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STERN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Bagel topping"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a bluish translucent magnetic liquid obtained by compressing gaseous oxygen and then cooling it below its boiling point; used as an oxidizer in rocket propellants
  • Similar words include: liquid oxygen
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOX

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Not perfect, but acceptable"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLOSEENOUGH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "36. Bickering"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "38. Blade that's pulled"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an implement used to propel or steer a boat
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "39. Casual farewell often used outside its language of origin"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an acknowledgment that can be used to say hello or goodbye (aloha is hawaiian and ciao is italian)
  • Similar words include: aloha
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIAO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "40. Station set up in a kitchen"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISEENPLACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "45. Bit of intel"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
  • Similar words include: steer, bakshish, summit
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "46. Coins of Cuba"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the basic unit of money in uruguay; equal to 100 centesimos
  • Similar words include: Uruguayan peso, Dominican peso, Mexican peso
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PESOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "47. Ingredients in some tropical smoothies"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that tropical american shrub or small tree having huge deeply palmately cleft leaves and large oblong yellow fruit
  • Similar words include: papaya, Carica papaya, papaya tree
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAPAYAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "49. Foreign Service assignments"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
  • Similar words include: station, military post, billet
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POSTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "50. Madrid mister"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spanish title or form of address for a man; similar to the english `mr' or `sir'
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENOR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "51. Church seat"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation
  • Similar words include: church bench
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "52. Promise to pay"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an informal debt instrument; representing `i owe you'
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "54. Journalist, informally"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that french playwright (1791-1861)
  • Similar words include: penman, scrivener, scriber
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRIBE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "58. Like children, ideally, in an old adage ... or a hint to a four-letter word hidden in 17-, 32- and 40-Across"

15 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEENANDNOTHEARD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. Rigorous"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that demanding strict attention to rules and procedures
  • Similar words include: tight, rigorous
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STRINGENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "63. Astronomer Carl"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAGAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "64. Irritable"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that easily irritated or annoyed
  • Similar words include: cranky, nettlesome, irritable
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TESTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "65. [As written]"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that urge to attack someone
  • Similar words include: set
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "66. Civil rights activist Parks"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large genus of erect or climbing prickly shrubs including roses
  • Similar words include: genus Rosa
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Play parts 4
2D 2. Kind of seed or pet 4
3D 3. Sometimes-raised part of a shoe 4
4D 4. Emphatic confirmation 6
5D 5. Nocturnal hooter 3
6D 6. Painter Veronese 5
7D 7. Langston Hughes poem 4
8D 8. Due + 1 3
9D 9. Mimic 3
10D 10. Script supervisor's concern 10
11D 11. ___ days 5
12D 12. Slugger Sammy 4
13D 14. "Raising Hell" rap trio 6
14D 16. Council ___ (British equivalent of a housing project) 6
15D 18. Part of a piano or loom 5
16D 23. Boots on the ground 6
17D 25. Rep.'s counterpart 3
18D 26. Ray of McDonald's 4
19D 27. Genre for Ziggy Stardust, informally 4
20D 28. Naan alternative 4
21D 29. Coalition that opposed the Allies in W.W. II 10
22D 30. Mexican wrap 6
23D 33. Kid-lit girl with a blueberry pail 3
24D 34. Greek goddess of the earth 4
25D 35. Brewing need 4
26D 37. They help you drive farther 4
27D 41. Ballpark fig. 3
28D 42. Snooping (around) 6
29D 43. "___ thou not minister to a mind diseased ...?": Macbeth 5
30D 44. Significant periods 6
31D 48. Overdue debt 6
32D 49. Golfer Calvin or QB Rodney 5
33D 50. Islam's largest branch 5
34D 51. Alternative to a tap on the shoulder 4
35D 53. Works of praise 4
36D 55. "Othello" villain 4
37D 56. Some supports 4
38D 57. ___ Lewis, the "Grande Dame of Southern Cooking" 4
39D 59. Minor complaint 3
40D 60. Unspecified amount 3
41D 61. Not Rx 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Play parts"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a new testament book describing the development of the early church from christ's ascension to paul's sojourn at rome
  • Similar words include: play, pretend, deed
  • Opposite of: refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Kind of seed or pet"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Sometimes-raised part of a shoe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
  • Similar words include: bounder, reheel, hound
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Emphatic confirmation"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YESIAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Nocturnal hooter"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
  • Similar words include: bird of night, bird of Minerva, hooter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OWL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Painter Veronese"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAOLO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Langston Hughes poem"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Due + 1"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Mimic"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various primates with short tails or no tail at all
  • Similar words include: copycat, imitator, caricature
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Script supervisor's concern"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that uninterrupted connection or union
  • Similar words include: persistence
  • Opposite of: discontinuity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONTINUITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. ___ days"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLDEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Slugger Sammy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. "Raising Hell" rap trio"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUNDMC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "16. Council ___ (British equivalent of a housing project)"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities
  • Similar words include: land, the three estates, demesne
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESTATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "18. Part of a piano or loom"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sustained bass note
  • Similar words include: foot lever, cycle, wheel
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEDAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Boots on the ground"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that soldiers collectively
  • Similar words include: scout troop, scout group, military personnel
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TROOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Rep.'s counterpart"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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!

18D: "26. Ray of McDonald's"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KROC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Genre for Ziggy Stardust, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GLAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. Naan alternative"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Coalition that opposed the Allies in W.W. II"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXISPOWERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Mexican wrap"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long brightly colored shawl; worn mainly by mexican men
  • Similar words include: sarape
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Kid-lit girl with a blueberry pail"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Greek goddess of the earth"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) goddess of the earth and mother of cronus and the titans in ancient mythology
  • Similar words include: Gaea, Ge
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Brewing need"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that twining perennials having cordate leaves and flowers arranged in conelike spikes; the dried flowers of this plant are used in brewing to add the characteristic bitter taste to beer
  • Similar words include: skip, hop-skip, hop
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. They help you drive farther"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the starting place for each hole on a golf course
  • Similar words include: golf tee, football tee, tee up
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Ballpark fig."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard time in the 5th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 75th meridian; used in the eastern united states
  • Similar words include: Eastern Time, Eastern Standard Time
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Snooping (around)"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that search or inquire in a meddlesome way
  • Similar words include: horn in, intrude, nuzzle
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. "___ thou not minister to a mind diseased ...?": Macbeth"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CANST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. Significant periods"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: date of reference, era, epoch
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPOCHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Overdue debt"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARREAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Golfer Calvin or QB Rodney"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEETE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Islam's largest branch"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the branch of islam that accepts the first four caliphs as rightful successors to muhammad
  • Similar words include: Sunnite, Sunni Muslim, Sunni Islam
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SUNNI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "51. Alternative to a tap on the shoulder"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Works of praise"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Similar words include: ode
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. "Othello" villain"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the villain in william shakespeare's tragedy who tricked othello into murdering his wife
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IAGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Some supports"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an undergarment worn by women to support their breasts
  • Similar words include: bandeau, brassiere, bra
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. ___ Lewis, the "Grande Dame of Southern Cooking""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Minor complaint"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a luminance unit equal to 1 candle per square meter measured perpendicular to the rays from the source
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. Unspecified amount"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one or some or every or all without specification
  • Similar words include: whatsoever, whatever
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "61. Not Rx"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (of securities) not traded on a stock exchange
  • Similar words include: over-the-counter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTC

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

33 Across Clues
41 Down Clues
74 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out our comprehensive archive of NYT crossword hints and answers. We update daily with expert analysis and solving strategies.

Disclaimer: Crossword clues and grid © The New York Times. This site provides hints and educational content for puzzle enthusiasts. XWordHint is not affiliated with The New York Times.

Last updated: April 28, 2026 at 06:18 AM