Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (35 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (35 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
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. Prepares for offspring | 5 |
| 2A | 6. Hack | 4 |
| 3A | 10. Supplier to Wile E. Coyote | 4 |
| 4A | 14. Employee after working hours, on "Severance" | 5 |
| 5A | 15. Sole | 4 |
| 6A | 16. Horse with a muted coat | 4 |
| 7A | 17. Bro? | 15 |
| 8A | 20. "ur funny" | 3 |
| 9A | 21. Essence | 4 |
| 10A | 22. "Goosebumps" author | 5 |
| 11A | 23. Adrenaline surge providers | 7 |
| 12A | 25. Bit of Yahtzee equipment | 7 |
| 13A | 27. Word rhymed with "flash" in "A Visit From St. Nicholas" | 4 |
| 14A | 28. Obnoxiously blingy | 6 |
| 15A | 30. "___ Been to the Mountaintop" (M.L.K. Jr. speech) | 3 |
| 16A | 31. Feminine sides | 6 |
| 17A | 33. Gave a hand | 5 |
| 18A | 35. Sit? | 13 |
| 19A | 38. Alfred ___, co-creator of the original I.Q. test | 5 |
| 20A | 39. Rents out again | 6 |
| 21A | 40. Mix-___ (ice cream shop supply) | 3 |
| 22A | 41. Like shipping that's not quite overnight | 6 |
| 23A | 43. Downfall of the boy in 2018's "Beautiful Boy," in brief | 4 |
| 24A | 47. Total after costs | 7 |
| 25A | 49. "Next one's on me" | 7 |
| 26A | 51. [So heavy!] | 5 |
| 27A | 52. Mind-reading scan, in a way | 4 |
| 28A | 53. 1,000,000,000 years, in astronomy | 3 |
| 29A | 54. Ale? | 15 |
| 30A | 57. Relative of Hindi | 4 |
| 31A | 58. Follower of "4" on a love note | 4 |
| 32A | 59. Start of a selection process | 5 |
| 33A | 60. They might be seeded | 4 |
| 34A | 61. Some yellow-green sodas, informally | 4 |
| 35A | 62. Bob with the Silver Bullet Band | 5 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Prepares for offspring"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
- Similar words include: draw close, cuddle, nest
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NESTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "6. Hack"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the irregular motion of waves (usually caused by wind blowing in a direction opposite to the tide)
- Similar words include: hack, chopper, chop shot
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHOP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3A: "10. Supplier to Wile E. Coyote"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
- Similar words include: pinnacle, superlative, elevation
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "14. Employee after working hours, on "Severance""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUTIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "15. Sole"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that lacking companions or companionship
- Similar words include: only, lonesome, solitary
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LONE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "16. Horse with a muted coat"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a soft sheepskin leather that is colored and finished to resemble morocco; used in bookbinding
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "17. Bro?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BROADWAYOPENING
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8A: "20. "ur funny""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOL
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9A: "21. Essence"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the central meaning or theme of a speech or literary work
- Similar words include: heart and soul, substance, kernel
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GIST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "22. "Goosebumps" author"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STINE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "23. Adrenaline surge providers"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPIPENS
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12A: "25. Bit of Yahtzee equipment"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DICECUP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "27. Word rhymed with "flash" in "A Visit From St. Nicholas""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a framework that holds the panes of a window in the window frame
- Similar words include: waistcloth, window sash, waistband
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SASH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "28. Obnoxiously blingy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that tastelessly showy
- Similar words include: meretricious, gimcrack, loud
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GARISH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "30. "___ Been to the Mountaintop" (M.L.K. Jr. speech)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "31. Feminine sides"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (jungian psychology) the inner self (not the external persona) that is in touch with the unconscious
- Similar words include: anima
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANIMAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "33. Gave a hand"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that give help or assistance; be of service
- Similar words include: aid, help, assist
- Opposite of: unassisted
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIDED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "35. Sit?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VISITORCENTER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "38. Alfred ___, co-creator of the original I.Q. test"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that french psychologist remembered for his studies of the intellectual development of children (1857-1911)
- Similar words include: Alfred Binet
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BINET
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "39. Rents out again"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RELETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "40. Mix-___ (ice cream shop supply)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an agency in the department of justice that enforces laws and regulations for the admission of foreign-born persons to the united states
- Similar words include: Immigration and Naturalization Service, indium, atomic number 49
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INS
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22A: "41. Like shipping that's not quite overnight"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWODAY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "43. Downfall of the boy in 2018's "Beautiful Boy," in brief"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an amphetamine derivative (trade name methedrine) used in the form of a crystalline hydrochloride; used as a stimulant to the nervous system and as an appetite suppressant
- Similar words include: chicken feed, shabu, ice
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: METH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "47. Total after costs"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NETGAIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "49. "Next one's on me""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IOWEYOU
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "51. [So heavy!]"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the short low gruff noise of the kind made by hogs
- Similar words include: oink
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRUNT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "52. Mind-reading scan, in a way"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a form of magnetic resonance imaging of the brain that registers blood flow to functioning areas of the brain
- Similar words include: functional magnetic resonance imaging
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FMRI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "53. 1,000,000,000 years, in astronomy"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the longest division of geological time
- Similar words include: aeon
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "54. Ale?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAIRYTALEENDING
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "57. Relative of Hindi"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the official literary language of pakistan, closely related to hindi; widely used in india (mostly by moslems); written in arabic script
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: URDU
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "58. Follower of "4" on a love note"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that at any time
- Similar words include: of all time, always, ever so
- Opposite of: never
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "59. Start of a selection process"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EENIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "60. They might be seeded"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the seed of the cereal grass
- Similar words include: rye whisky, rye whiskey, Secale cereale
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RYES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34A: "61. Some yellow-green sodas, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
- Similar words include: dew
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEWS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35A: "62. Bob with the Silver Bullet Band"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEGER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Argon, krypton and xenon, informally | 6 |
| 2D | 2. Moon of Jupiter that has a liquid ocean under its surface | 6 |
| 3D | 3. Absolut alternatives | 6 |
| 4D | 4. Hermana de la madre | 3 |
| 5D | 5. "The ___ is wither'd from the lake": Keats | 5 |
| 6D | 6. Bona fide numbskull | 11 |
| 7D | 7. Big name in archery equipment | 4 |
| 8D | 8. Fuyumi ___, author of the "Twelve Kingdoms" fantasy novels | 3 |
| 9D | 9. Colas in the "cola wars" | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Former governor Schwarzenegger, informally | 5 |
| 11D | 11. Occur at the same time | 8 |
| 12D | 12. Skillful move | 8 |
| 13D | 13. Lit. course | 3 |
| 14D | 18. Improvise | 6 |
| 15D | 19. Chemical agent used to make frosted glass | 7 |
| 16D | 24. The terrible twos, for one | 5 |
| 17D | 25. "Use at your own risk" and "Not professional advice," for two | 11 |
| 18D | 26. "Of the foot" prefix | 3 |
| 19D | 29. Rose (up), in dialect | 5 |
| 20D | 32. ___ Lion, Penn State mascot | 7 |
| 21D | 34. Nonspecific response to "Who's there?" | 5 |
| 22D | 35. Like pickles and some potato salads | 8 |
| 23D | 36. Chill way to take things | 8 |
| 24D | 37. Kid-lit character who says "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it" | 6 |
| 25D | 38. Where many things get tossed | 3 |
| 26D | 42. Follower of quick or dim | 6 |
| 27D | 44. Checking out | 6 |
| 28D | 45. $2 coin, eh? | 6 |
| 29D | 46. Drive | 6 |
| 30D | 48. Masters | 5 |
| 31D | 50. Cellar stock | 5 |
| 32D | 52. What time did in fun times | 4 |
| 33D | 54. Traditional parka material | 3 |
| 34D | 55. Boston's Mass ___ | 3 |
| 35D | 56. 1.0 G.P.A. | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Argon, krypton and xenon, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a titled peer of the realm
- Similar words include: noble, Lord, nobleman
- Opposite of: noblewoman, Lady
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOBLES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Moon of Jupiter that has a liquid ocean under its surface"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the 4th largest of jupiter's satellites; covered with a smooth shell of frozen water
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EUROPA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Absolut alternatives"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STOLIS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Hermana de la madre"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that brief episode in which the brain gets insufficient blood supply; symptoms depend on the site of the blockage
- Similar words include: transient ischemic attack
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. "The ___ is wither'd from the lake": Keats"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that grasslike or rushlike plant growing in wet places having solid stems, narrow grasslike leaves and spikelets of inconspicuous flowers
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEDGE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Bona fide numbskull"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLASSAMORON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Big name in archery equipment"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOYT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Fuyumi ___, author of the "Twelve Kingdoms" fantasy novels"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that united states musician (born in japan) who married john lennon and collaborated with him on recordings (born in 1933)
- Similar words include: Yoko Ono
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Colas in the "cola wars""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that pepsi cola is a trademarked cola
- Similar words include: Pepsi Cola, Pepsi
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEPSIS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Former governor Schwarzenegger, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARNIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Occur at the same time"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that go with, fall together
- Similar words include: co-occur, concur, cooccur
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COINCIDE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Skillful move"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a military training exercise
- Similar words include: manoeuvre, steer, simulated military operation
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANEUVER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Lit. course"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "18. Improvise"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WINGIT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "19. Chemical agent used to make frosted glass"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCHANT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "24. The terrible twos, for one"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any distinct time period in a sequence of events
- Similar words include: form, stage, phase angle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PHASE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "25. "Use at your own risk" and "Not professional advice," for two"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (law) a voluntary repudiation of a person's legal claim to something
- Similar words include: disavowal, disclaimer
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DISCLAIMERS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "26. "Of the foot" prefix"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "29. Rose (up), in dialect"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "32. ___ Lion, Penn State mascot"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NITTANY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "34. Nonspecific response to "Who's there?""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ITSME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "35. Like pickles and some potato salads"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that tasting or smelling like vinegar
- Similar words include: vinegarish, acetose, acetous
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VINEGARY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "36. Chill way to take things"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INSTRIDE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "37. Kid-lit character who says "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EEYORE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "38. Where many things get tossed"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a container; usually has a lid
- Similar words include: binful, ABA transit number, bank identification number
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BIN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "42. Follower of quick or dim"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WITTED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "44. Checking out"
Solving Hints:
- Similar words include: eyeball, eye
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYEING
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "45. $2 coin, eh?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOONIE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "46. Drive"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a physiological need for food; the consequence of food deprivation
- Similar words include: crave, starve, lust
- Opposite of: be full
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUNGER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "48. Masters"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a hindu or buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher
- Similar words include: Guru, guru
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GURUS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "50. Cellar stock"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that fermented juice (of grapes especially)
- Similar words include: advance, wine-colored, wine-coloured
- Opposite of: lose, fail
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WINES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "52. What time did in fun times"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that travel through the air; be airborne
- Similar words include: flee, vanish, fly
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLEW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "54. Traditional parka material"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the dressed hairy coat of a mammal
- Similar words include: pelt
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "55. Boston's Mass ___"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AVE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "56. 1.0 G.P.A."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEE
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
35 Down Clues
70 Total Clues
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