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Wednesday, August 19, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 19, 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: Medium

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. Sahara-esque 4
2A 5. Exams for high school jrs. 5
3A 10. Private sleeping accommodations? 4
4A 14. "Didn't you get the ___?" 4
5A 15. Wipe from one's memory, so to speak 5
6A 16. Section in a textbook 4
7A 17. "___ She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit) 4
8A 18. Deceptive move in fencing 5
9A 19. Depend (on) 4
10A 20. Natural pillow filling 13
11A 23. Graffiti, to some 3
12A 24. Three unnamed things, in shorthand 3
13A 25. Quinceañeras, e.g. 5
14A 28. Lifted 5
15A 30. Services for senior citizens 9
16A 34. Hybrid tennis attire 5
17A 36. Word with pan, pump or paint 3
18A 37. ___ Minor 4
19A 38. Unofficial vote 9
20A 41. President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college 4
21A 44. "___ got it!" 3
22A 45. Cats and dogs, for example 5
23A 48. Old West outlaw who left behind poetic messages after some robberies 9
24A 51. Excludes 5
25A 53. Mount ___ Health System 5
26A 54. Immature high score initials on an arcade game 3
27A 56. Something to trust 3
28A 57. Hides one's central point, in a way ... with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across 13
29A 62. They offer support 4
30A 64. Speak at a political convention, perhaps 5
31A 65. Field 4
32A 66. Facility 4
33A 67. 2008 film about a solitary trash-compacting robot 5
34A 68. Semiaquatic relative of a weasel 4
35A 69. Blue No. 1 and Yellow No. 6 4
36A 70. Fall bloom 5
37A 71. Cave wall hangings? 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Sahara-esque"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lacking sufficient water or rainfall
  • Similar words include: waterless, desiccated, desiccate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Exams for high school jrs."

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Private sleeping accommodations?"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sheath worn to protect a finger
  • Similar words include: camp bed, cot, fingerstall
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "Didn't you get the ___?""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a written proposal or reminder
  • Similar words include: memorandum, memoranda
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Wipe from one's memory, so to speak"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Section in a textbook"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any division of quantity accepted as a standard of measurement or exchange
  • Similar words include: whole, building block, unit of measurement
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "___ She Lovely" (Stevie Wonder hit)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. Deceptive move in fencing"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any distracting or deceptive maneuver (as a mock attack)
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEINT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Depend (on)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have confidence or faith in
  • Similar words include: bank, swear, trust
  • Opposite of: mistrust
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RELY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Natural pillow filling"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOOSEFEATHERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Graffiti, to some"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the products of human creativity; works of art collectively
  • Similar words include: fine art, artwork, graphics
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ART

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Three unnamed things, in shorthand"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Quinceañeras, e.g."

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an established ceremony prescribed by a religion
  • Similar words include: religious rite, ritual, rite
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RITES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Lifted"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
  • Similar words include: steal, slip
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Services for senior citizens"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. Hybrid tennis attire"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "36. Word with pan, pump or paint"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slippery or viscous liquid or liquefiable substance not miscible with water
  • Similar words include: petroleum, embrocate, crude
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "37. ___ Minor"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Unofficial vote"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "41. President who was a heavyweight wrestling champion in college"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states sculptor (1860-1936)
  • Similar words include: Lorado Taft, William Howard Taft, President Taft
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. "___ got it!""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Cats and dogs, for example"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a content word that can be used to refer to a person, place, thing, quality, or action
  • Similar words include: noun
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOUNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "48. Old West outlaw who left behind poetic messages after some robberies"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "51. Excludes"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that prevent from being included or considered or accepted
  • Similar words include: except, take out, leave out
  • Opposite of: include, attend to
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "53. Mount ___ Health System"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mountain peak in the southern sinai peninsula (7,500 feet high); it is believed to be the peak on which moses received the ten commandments
  • Similar words include: Mount Sinai, Sinai Peninsula, Sinai Desert
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SINAI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "54. Immature high score initials on an arcade game"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
  • Similar words include: prat, tooshie, fundament
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "56. Something to trust"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of the alimentary canal between the stomach and the anus
  • Similar words include: intestine, catgut, bowel
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "57. Hides one's central point, in a way ... with a doubly homophonic hint to 20-, 30-, 38- and 48-Across"

13 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BURIESTHELEDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "62. They offer support"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "64. Speak at a political convention, perhaps"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that talk pompously
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "65. Field"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: domain, surface area, arena
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "66. Facility"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
  • Similar words include: relieve, still, alleviate
  • Opposite of: difficulty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "67. 2008 film about a solitary trash-compacting robot"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "68. Semiaquatic relative of a weasel"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the expensive fur of a mink
  • Similar words include: mink coat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "69. Blue No. 1 and Yellow No. 6"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a usually soluble substance for staining or coloring e.g. fabrics or hair
  • Similar words include: dye, dyestuff
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "70. Fall bloom"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various chiefly fall-blooming herbs of the genus aster with showy daisylike flowers
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "71. Cave wall hangings?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
  • Similar words include: kooky, wacky, at-bat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Female friends from Fuenlabrada 6
2D 2. Some vacation destinations 7
3D 3. "My mood is pretty low" 7
4D 4. Top three sights in Fiji? 4
5D 5. Like eyes during an allergy attack 5
6D 6. "Bless you!" elicitor 6
7D 7. ___ Minor 4
8D 8. Something that's pitched 4
9D 9. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane 4
10D 10. Set of courses offered 10
11D 11. Miserable rating 7
12D 12. "___ death do us part" 3
13D 13. What a parent might compare a messy bedroom to 3
14D 21. Put forth 5
15D 22. Drop the ball 3
16D 26. Verbal hesitations 3
17D 27. Neptune's territory 3
18D 29. Situations one might no longer put effort into 10
19D 31. Drop 5
20D 32. Drop 3
21D 33. North Carolina university 4
22D 35. Chicago paper, with "the" 4
23D 39. ___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho" 3
24D 40. Not taut 5
25D 41. Longtime "American Dad!" airer 3
26D 42. 2001 biopic starring Will Smith 3
27D 43. The "Beyhive" for Beyoncé, e.g. 7
28D 46. Country bordering Chad and Benin 7
29D 47. Lecture attendee 7
30D 49. ___ royale (Champagne cocktail) 3
31D 50. Rat (on) 6
32D 52. They can be well-done 6
33D 55. See-through 5
34D 58. Part of the Corn Belt 4
35D 59. Important stretches 4
36D 60. The word "salary" derives from the Latin for this 4
37D 61. What a shepherd may shepherd 4
38D 62. Bouncy part of a trampoline 3
39D 63. "A drop of golden sun," in song 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Female friends from Fuenlabrada"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Some vacation destinations"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hotel located in a resort area
  • Similar words include: resort hotel, recur, recourse
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESORTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. "My mood is pretty low""

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Top three sights in Fiji?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very small circular shape
  • Similar words include: constellate, sprinkle, dit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Like eyes during an allergy attack"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being puffed out; used of hair style or clothing
  • Similar words include: turgid, gusty, tumescent
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PUFFY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "Bless you!" elicitor"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a symptom consisting of the involuntary expulsion of air from the nose
  • Similar words include: sneezing, sternutation
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNEEZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. ___ Minor"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the largest continent with 60% of the earth's population; it is joined to europe on the west to form eurasia; it is the site of some of the world's earliest civilizations
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Something that's pitched"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
  • Similar words include: camp, encamp, collapsible shelter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (old testament) third son of adam and eve; given by god in place of the murdered abel
  • Similar words include: Set
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Set of courses offered"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an integrated course of academic studies
  • Similar words include: course of study, syllabus, program
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURRICULUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Miserable rating"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "___ death do us part""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. What a parent might compare a messy bedroom to"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Put forth"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that have and exercise
  • Similar words include: exercise, wield, maintain
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Drop the ball"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to make a mistake or be incorrect
  • Similar words include: drift, stray, slip
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Verbal hesitations"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a trivalent metallic element of the rare earth group; occurs with yttrium
  • Similar words include: Er, ER, emergency room
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Neptune's territory"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
  • Similar words include: ocean
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "29. Situations one might no longer put effort into"

10 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. Drop"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the lower of two berths
  • Similar words include: lour, humiliated, miserable
  • Opposite of: raise, high
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOWER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "32. Drop"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a depression in an otherwise level surface
  • Similar words include: angle of dip, magnetic inclination, drop
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "33. North Carolina university"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Chicago paper, with "the""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "39. ___ Max, singer of the 2018 hit "Sweet but Psycho""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "40. Not taut"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
  • Similar words include: liberal, liberate, wanton
  • Opposite of: tight, affixed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "41. Longtime "American Dad!" airer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metallic element of the rare earth group; used in lasers; occurs in apatite and monazite and xenotime and ytterbite
  • Similar words include: terbium, terabyte, Tb
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. 2001 biopic starring Will Smith"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states prizefighter who won the world heavyweight championship three times (born in 1942)
  • Similar words include: Cassius Clay, Cassius Marcellus Clay, Muhammad Ali
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. The "Beyhive" for Beyoncé, e.g."

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "46. Country bordering Chad and Benin"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in west africa on the gulf of guinea; gained independence from britain in 1960; most populous african country
  • Similar words include: Federal Republic of Nigeria
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIGERIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Lecture attendee"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution
  • Similar words include: bookman, pupil, educatee
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUDENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "49. ___ royale (Champagne cocktail)"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "50. Rat (on)"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that disclosing information or giving evidence about another
  • Similar words include: let the cat out of the bag, blab, peach
  • Opposite of: keep quiet
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATTLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "52. They can be well-done"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a slice of meat cut from the fleshy part of an animal or large fish
  • Similar words include: steak
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "55. See-through"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that turn sharply; change direction abruptly
  • Similar words include: transparent, gauze-like, vapourous
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHEER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "58. Part of the Corn Belt"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people formerly living in iowa and minnesota and missouri
  • Similar words include: IA, Hawkeye State, Ioway
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOWA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "59. Important stretches"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: geological era, earned run average, era
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "60. The word "salary" derives from the Latin for this"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
  • Similar words include: table salt, common salt, Strategic Arms Limitation Talks
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "61. What a shepherd may shepherd"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that young sheep
  • Similar words include: Elia, dear, Charles Lamb
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "62. Bouncy part of a trampoline"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
  • Similar words include: make love, kip down, roll in the hay
  • Opposite of: get up, turn out
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "63. "A drop of golden sun," in song"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a column of light (as from a beacon)
  • Similar words include: beam of light, shaft of light, shaft
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAY

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

37 Across Clues
39 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: August 19, 2026 at 04:04 AM

Thursday, June 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 11, 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. Word before baked or naked 4
2A 5. Pinnacles 5
3A 10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles 4
4A 14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation 4
5A 15. Not secured 5
6A 16. Arm part 4
7A 17. It might have many sides 4
8A 18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman? 10
9A 20. Like photons, but not protons 8
10A 22. Passes out 6
11A 23. Sarcastic laugh syllable 3
12A 24. Yea or nay 4
13A 25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman? 11
14A 30. Flu-fighting org. 3
15A 33. Met someone? 9
16A 34. "Begone!" 4
17A 35. Milky Way explosion 4
18A 36. Live 5
19A 38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief 4
20A 39. Had the answer 4
21A 40. Your mind's eye? 9
22A 42. "To be," in Iberia 3
23A 43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman? 11
24A 45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites 4
25A 46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series) 3
26A 47. Chicken 6
27A 50. Something you might keep tabs on? 8
28A 55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman? 10
29A 57. Lack of friction 4
30A 58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one) 4
31A 59. Farm measures 5
32A 60. Genetic communicator, for short 4
33A 61. Lyrical works 4
34A 62. Bare amount 5
35A 63. Gym units 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Word before baked or naked"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
  • Similar words include: one-half
  • Opposite of: whole
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Pinnacles"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
  • Similar words include: tiptop, summit, vertex
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
  • Similar words include: oak tree, oak
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Not secured"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
  • Similar words include: release, wanton, promiscuous
  • Opposite of: confine, stiffen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Arm part"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm
  • Similar words include: elbow bone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ULNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. It might have many sides"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a list of dishes available at a restaurant
  • Similar words include: computer menu, bill of fare, carte du jour
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Like photons, but not protons"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Passes out"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
  • Similar words include: swoon, syncope, deliquium
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAINTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Sarcastic laugh syllable"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Yea or nay"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
  • Similar words include: suffrage, voting, right to vote
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Flu-fighting org."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a federal agency in the department of health and human services; located in atlanta; investigates and diagnoses and tries to control or prevent diseases (especially new and unusual diseases)
  • Similar words include: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Met someone?"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a patron of the opera
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPERAGOER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Begone!""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drive away by crying `shoo!'
  • Similar words include: shoo away, shoo off
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Milky Way explosion"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Live"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum
  • Similar words include: grad, ammonium alum, potassium alum
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Had the answer"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
  • Similar words include: be intimate, hump, cognise
  • Opposite of: ignore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Your mind's eye?"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. "To be," in Iberia"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman?"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
  • Similar words include: defect, deflower, mutilate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series)"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Chicken"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that filled with fear or apprehension
  • Opposite of: unafraid
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Something you might keep tabs on?"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman?"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. Lack of friction"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
  • Similar words include: facilitate, still, comfort
  • Opposite of: difficulty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of many shrubs of the genus rosa that bear roses
  • Similar words include: rosiness, resurrect, rebel
  • Opposite of: wane, turn in
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Farm measures"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
  • Similar words include: land, estate, Akka
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACRES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Genetic communicator, for short"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the template for protein synthesis; the form of rna that carries information from dna in the nucleus to the ribosome sites of protein synthesis in the cell
  • Similar words include: informational RNA, messenger RNA, template RNA
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. Lyrical works"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

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!

34A: "62. Bare amount"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that is of no importance
  • Similar words include: to the lowest degree
  • Opposite of: most
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Gym units"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
  • Similar words include: circle, solidification, coiffure
  • Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick" 4
2D 2. Integral calculation 4
3D 3. Setups for some routers, in brief 4
4D 4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit 9
5D 5. Clark Kent has one 8
6D 6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down 4
7D 7. Sounds produced by 6-Down 4
8D 8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops 3
9D 9. Ocean mist 6
10D 10. Convex physical feature 5
11D 11. EGOT-winning composer Menken 4
12D 12. Furrow, as one's brow 4
13D 13. Without 4
14D 19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans 4
15D 21. TV journalist Spencer 4
16D 24. Truth 6
17D 25. Traffic jam cacophony 5
18D 26. Barely winning, say 5
19D 27. Word on either side of "say" 5
20D 28. People one might meet at a drive 6
21D 29. Bounded 5
22D 30. Olympic snowboarder Kim 5
23D 31. Reservations 5
24D 32. Shows up 5
25D 34. Bargain hunter's targets 9
26D 37. Most perilous 8
27D 41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria 4
28D 43. Fall short 4
29D 44. Test of will 6
30D 45. Stable females 5
31D 47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross 4
32D 48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw 4
33D 49. Villainous ploy 4
34D 50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum 4
35D 51. Prompts 4
36D 52. Like blue lobsters 4
37D 53. "That ___ funny" 4
38D 54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips 4
39D 56. Esteemed fighter pilot 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Integral calculation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: expanse, surface area, domain
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Setups for some routers, in brief"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a local computer network for communication between computers; especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices
  • Similar words include: LAN, local area network
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Clark Kent has one"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age; ; ; - bible
  • Similar words include: cow, oxen, cattle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sounds produced by 6-Down"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a cow or bull
  • Similar words include: low, moo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ocean mist"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Convex physical feature"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. EGOT-winning composer Menken"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Furrow, as one's brow"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fabric made by knitting
  • Similar words include: pucker, cockle, entwine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Without"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a gentle blow
  • Similar words include: pat, tap, rap
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. TV journalist Spencer"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Truth"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that conformity to reality or actuality
  • Similar words include: trueness, the true, truth
  • Opposite of: falsity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VERITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Traffic jam cacophony"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cry of a goose (or any sound resembling this)
  • Similar words include: regurgitate, blare, barf
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Barely winning, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Word on either side of "say""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not ever; at no time in the past or future
  • Similar words include: ne'er
  • Opposite of: ever
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. People one might meet at a drive"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that person who makes a gift of property
  • Similar words include: donor, giver, conferrer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DONORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Bounded"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move forward by leaps and bounds
  • Similar words include: jump off, jump, leap
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Olympic snowboarder Kim"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "31. Reservations"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of being unsure of something
  • Similar words include: incertitude, uncertainty, question
  • Opposite of: certainty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOUBT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "32. Shows up"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
  • Similar words include: seminal fluid, fall, arrive
  • Opposite of: go, leave
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Bargain hunter's targets"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Most perilous"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that involving risk or danger
  • Similar words include: wild, high-risk, hazardous
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RISKIEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
  • Similar words include: Chadic language, Lake Chad, Tchad
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Fall short"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fail to do something; leave something undone
  • Similar words include: flush it, conk out, die
  • Opposite of: manage, pass
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Test of will"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a severe or trying experience
  • Similar words include: trial by ordeal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Stable females"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that female equine animal
  • Similar words include: female horse, deflower, mutilate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
  • Similar words include: Afro hairdo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
  • Similar words include: solid food, food for thought, intellectual nourishment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Villainous ploy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)
  • Similar words include: artifice
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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!

35D: "51. Prompts"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech
  • Similar words include: pool cue, cue stick, clew
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Like blue lobsters"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
  • Similar words include: rarefied, uncommon, rarified
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "53. "That ___ funny""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that seed of a pea plant used for food
  • Similar words include: pea, pea plant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. Esteemed fighter pilot"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: superstar, top-notch, hotshot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE

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

35 Across Clues
39 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.

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Last updated: June 11, 2026 at 08:20 AM