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Tuesday, August 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers August 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: 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. Popular tablets 5
2A 6. Big name in food wholesale 5
3A 11. "Exit full screen" key 3
4A 14. Still in bed 5
5A 15. Just peachy 5
6A 16. By way of 3
7A 17. Psychedelic rock band with the 2003 tune "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1," with "the" 11
8A 19. Sam-___ (Seuss character) 3
9A 20. No rookie 6
10A 21. Missions, in brief 3
11A 22. Red denizen of Sesame Street 4
12A 23. Problem for a plumber 4
13A 25. Lollygag 4
14A 27. Against 4
15A 30. German film composer who wrote "Cornfield Chase" and "Time" 10
16A 35. Things to be mowed 5
17A 37. Passage ceremonies 5
18A 38. Word with cutie or sweetie 3
19A 39. Mario's video game brother 5
20A 40. Goat's bleat 3
21A 41. Scold 5
22A 43. Hosp. areas with gurneys 3
23A 44. In a cheery manner 5
24A 46. Tender spots 5
25A 47. Hip-hop group that wrote "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Ya Neck" 10
26A 50. Trifling 4
27A 51. "... or ___!" (threat) 4
28A 52. Opinion, informally 4
29A 54. Alternative to truth 4
30A 56. "Abso-freakin-lutely!" 3
31A 59. Big export of Myanmar 6
32A 63. Ingredient in a Dark 'n' Stormy 3
33A 64. First Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy ... or a hint to 17-, 30- and 47-Across 11
34A 66. Portfolio portion, in brief 3
35A 67. Peripheral 5
36A 68. Religion of the Maldives 5
37A 69. "There, there" accompanier 3
38A 70. Stash away 5
39A 71. Prey for polar bears 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Popular tablets"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Big name in food wholesale"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. "Exit full screen" key"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Still in bed"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Just peachy"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. By way of"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Psychedelic rock band with the 2003 tune "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Pt. 1," with "the""

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Sam-___ (Seuss character)"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. No rookie"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Missions, in brief"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) goddess of abundance and fertility; wife of saturn; counterpart of greek rhea and cybele of ancient asia minor
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Red denizen of Sesame Street"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Problem for a plumber"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an accidental hole that allows something (fluid or light etc.) to enter or escape
  • Similar words include: leakage, leak out, making water
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Lollygag"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of an engine or other mechanism that is idling
  • Similar words include: out of work, laze, stagnate
  • Opposite of: busy, work
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IDLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Against"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is opposed (to an action or policy or practice etc.)
  • Opposite of: pro
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. German film composer who wrote "Cornfield Chase" and "Time""

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Things to be mowed"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a field of cultivated and mowed grass
  • Similar words include: lawn
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAWNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "37. Passage ceremonies"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Word with cutie or sweetie"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that dish baked in pastry-lined pan often with a pastry top
  • Similar words include: Proto-Indo European
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PIE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "39. Mario's video game brother"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "40. Goat's bleat"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "41. Scold"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that censure severely or angrily
  • Similar words include: lambaste, berate, chew up
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "43. Hosp. areas with gurneys"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state in northwestern united states on the pacific
  • Similar words include: Oregon, OR, operating theater
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. In a cheery manner"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that in a gay manner
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAILY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Tender spots"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an open skin infection
  • Similar words include: sore
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. Hip-hop group that wrote "C.R.E.A.M." and "Protect Ya Neck""

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "50. Trifling"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small pond of standing water
  • Similar words include: simple, bare
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "51. "... or ___!" (threat)"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Opinion, informally"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
  • Similar words include: require, subscribe, have
  • Opposite of: give, abstain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "54. Alternative to truth"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a challenge to do something dangerous or foolhardy
  • Similar words include: daring, make bold, presume
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. "Abso-freakin-lutely!""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the united states federal department charged with conservation and the development of natural resources; created in 1849
  • Similar words include: Department of the Interior, Interior, Interior Department
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Big export of Myanmar"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
  • Similar words include: crimson, ruby, deep red
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUBIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "63. Ingredient in a Dark 'n' Stormy"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that liquor distilled from fermented molasses
  • Similar words include: curious, odd, funny
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "64. First Chinese government to establish a permanent standing navy ... or a hint to 17-, 30- and 47-Across"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "66. Portfolio portion, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a militant organization of irish nationalists who used terrorism and guerilla warfare in an effort to drive british forces from northern ireland and achieve a united independent ireland
  • Similar words include: wrath, Provisional Irish Republican Army, individual retirement account
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "67. Peripheral"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that being on the outside or further from a center
  • Similar words include: taboo, stunned, tabu
  • Opposite of: safe, inner
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "68. Religion of the Maldives"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the civilization of muslims collectively which is governed by the muslim religion
  • Similar words include: Muhammadanism, Islamism, Muslimism
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISLAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "69. "There, there" accompanier"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "70. Stash away"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mercantile establishment for the retail sale of goods or services
  • Similar words include: memory, storage, put in
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "71. Prey for polar bears"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fastener consisting of a resinous composition that is plastic when warm; used for sealing documents and parcels and letters
  • Similar words include: cachet, sealskin, seal
  • Opposite of: unseal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Deets 4
2D 2. Opinion survey 4
3D 3. Ever so slightly 4
4D 4. Bit of Chinese food 8
5D 5. Steeple topper 5
6D 6. Droop 3
7D 7. "This is probably dumb but I'm doing it anyway" hashtag 4
8D 8. Go past 4
9D 9. Flip over, as a boat 7
10D 10. Yiddish laments 3
11D 11. The Soviet Union, to Reagan 10
12D 12. Thailand, before 1939 4
13D 13. Military wear, for short 4
14D 18. Head of a noted animal rescue project 4
15D 22. Stately tree 3
16D 24. Like a comeuppance, perhaps 6
17D 26. LPs and 45s 5
18D 27. "I'll ___ it" 5
19D 28. Island that's the world's third-smallest country, after Vatican City and Monaco 5
20D 29. People hold complicated positions on it 10
21D 31. Singer Horan of One Direction 5
22D 32. Patronize, as a hotel 6
23D 33. Duck down 5
24D 34. Angel ___, holder of the W.N.B.A. single-season record for offensive rebounds 5
25D 36. Stop and Yield 5
26D 42. Headquarters 8
27D 45. Got too old 7
28D 48. Pub drink 3
29D 49. ___ a soul 4
30D 53. Mila of "That '70s Show" 5
31D 54. What icicles do 4
32D 55. Field you can feel, maybe 4
33D 57. "You're ___ something!" 4
34D 58. Longtime Disney boss Bob 4
35D 60. Cuba, por ejemplo 4
36D 61. And other authors: Abbr. 4
37D 62. Jazz singer Sylvia 4
38D 64. Castaway's call 3
39D 65. "Dr." from Compton 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Deets"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a message received and understood
  • Similar words include: information
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INFO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Opinion survey"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people
  • Similar words include: pollard, public opinion poll, poll parrot
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POLL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Ever so slightly"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Bit of Chinese food"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small balls or strips of boiled or steamed dough
  • Similar words include: dumplings
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DUMPLING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Steeple topper"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building (usually a church or temple) and that tapers to a point at the top
  • Similar words include: steeple
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPIRE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Droop"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shape that sags
  • Similar words include: flag, droop, swag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "This is probably dumb but I'm doing it anyway" hashtag"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Go past"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gait in which steps and hops alternate
  • Similar words include: hop-skip, decamp, bound off
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Flip over, as a boat"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that overturn accidentally
  • Similar words include: turn turtle, turtle
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAPSIZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Yiddish laments"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. The Soviet Union, to Reagan"

10 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Thailand, before 1939"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a country of southeastern asia that extends southward along the isthmus of kra to the malay peninsula
  • Similar words include: Kingdom of Thailand, Thailand
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Military wear, for short"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fabric dyed with splotches of green and brown and black and tan; intended to make the wearer of a garment made of this fabric hard to distinguish from the background
  • Similar words include: camouflage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Head of a noted animal rescue project"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the hebrew patriarch who saved himself and his family and the animals by building an ark in which they survived 40 days and 40 nights of rain; the story of noah and the flood is told in the book of genesis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Stately tree"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various trees of the genus ulmus: important timber or shade trees
  • Similar words include: elm tree, elmwood
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Like a comeuppance, perhaps"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. LPs and 45s"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that sound recording consisting of a disk with a continuous groove; used to reproduce music by rotating while a phonograph needle tracks in the groove
  • Similar words include: phonograph recording, phonograph record, disc
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DISCS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. "I'll ___ it""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
  • Similar words include: grant, tolerate, earmark
  • Opposite of: forbid, deny
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALLOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Island that's the world's third-smallest country, after Vatican City and Monaco"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an island republic on nauru island; phosphate exports support the economy
  • Similar words include: Pleasant Island, Republic of Nauru, Nauru Island
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAURU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. People hold complicated positions on it"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Singer Horan of One Direction"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Patronize, as a hotel"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Duck down"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that duck of the northern hemisphere much valued for the fine soft down of the females
  • Similar words include: eider duck
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EIDER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Angel ___, holder of the W.N.B.A. single-season record for offensive rebounds"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Stop and Yield"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
  • Similar words include: subscribe, signalise, sign of the zodiac
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIGNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "42. Headquarters"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "45. Got too old"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "48. Pub drink"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general name for beer made with a top fermenting yeast; in some of the united states an ale is (by law) a brew of more than 4% alcohol by volume
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "49. ___ a soul"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (used with singular count nouns) colloquial for `not a' or `not one' or `never a'
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NARY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "53. Mila of "That '70s Show""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "54. What icicles do"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that flowing in drops; the formation and falling of drops of liquid
  • Similar words include: drip mould, dripping, drip mold
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DRIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "55. Field you can feel, maybe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
  • Similar words include: halo, atmosphere, air
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "57. "You're ___ something!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "58. Longtime Disney boss Bob"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "60. Cuba, por ejemplo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "61. And other authors: Abbr."

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "62. Jazz singer Sylvia"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "64. Castaway's call"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an internationally recognized distress signal in radio code
  • Similar words include: so, sol, soh
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "65. "Dr." from Compton"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

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Today's Puzzle Stats

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

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Last updated: August 11, 2026 at 04:45 AM

Saturday, May 16, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers May 16, 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. Modern "go-to's" 4
2A 5. Curtain for silhouetting on stage 5
3A 10. Bird on the South Carolina state quarter 4
4A 14. Capote or chesterfield 4
5A 15. Emulates E.T., in a way 10
6A 17. Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariot 4
7A 18. Precious self-reference 10
8A 19. Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024) 7
9A 21. Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia) 7
10A 22. Matches with forensics 14
11A 24. Occasions to relax and recharge 6
12A 25. Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15) 5
13A 26. Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit card 5
14A 27. Aid in making salsa 5
15A 28. Operculum, e.g. 3
16A 31. Capital of Greenland 4
17A 32. They're hard to pull off 5
18A 33. Spa service, in brief 4
19A 34. Up to snuff, facetiously 3
20A 35. Trickles 5
21A 36. Cup holders 5
22A 37. Many a Porsche 911 5
23A 38. Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's said 6
24A 39. Don't start with me! 14
25A 43. Difficult effort 7
26A 44. Cut out 7
27A 46. Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" 10
28A 48. Cold-smoked lox 4
29A 49. 7 up, perhaps 10
30A 50. Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and Somaliland 4
31A 51. Vanilla units 4
32A 52. Spouts 5
33A 53. Romp 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Modern "go-to's""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the address of a web page on the world wide web
  • Similar words include: universal resource locator, URL, uniform resource locator
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: URLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Curtain for silhouetting on stage"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a firm open-weave fabric used for a curtain in the theater
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCRIM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Bird on the South Carolina state quarter"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english architect who designed more than fifty london churches (1632-1723)
  • Similar words include: Sir Christopher Wren, jenny wren
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WREN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Capote or chesterfield"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
  • Similar words include: surface, coating, pelage
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Emulates E.T., in a way"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "17. Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariot"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (roman mythology) the goddess of the moon; counterpart of greek selene
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Precious self-reference"

10 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024)"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia)"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that build of or with wattle
  • Similar words include: wattle
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WATTLED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Matches with forensics"

14 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEBATECONTESTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Occasions to relax and recharge"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15)"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "26. Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit card"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "27. Aid in making salsa"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mechanical device used for dicing food
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DICER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "28. Operculum, e.g."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
  • Similar words include: palpebra, hat, eyelid
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Capital of Greenland"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. They're hard to pull off"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a notable achievement
  • Similar words include: effort, exploit, feat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FEATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Spa service, in brief"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Up to snuff, facetiously"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Trickles"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that pass gradually or leak through or as if through small openings
  • Similar words include: ooze, seep
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "36. Cup holders"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an ornamental metal cup-shaped holder for a hot coffee cup
  • Similar words include: zarf
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZARFS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "37. Many a Porsche 911"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a car with two doors and front seats and a luggage compartment
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COUPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "38. Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's said"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in virgo
  • Similar words include: Virgo, Virgin, Virgo the Virgin
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIRGOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "39. Don't start with me!"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SECONDSTRINGER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "43. Difficult effort"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
  • Similar words include: exertion, labour, toil
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TRAVAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "44. Cut out"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line
  • Similar words include: expunge, excise, strike
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXCISED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "46. Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte""

10 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "48. Cold-smoked lox"

4 letters Category: Common Word

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!

29A: "49. 7 up, perhaps"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "50. Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and Somaliland"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an important port of yemen; located on the gulf of aden; its strategic location has made it a major trading center of southern arabia since ancient times
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "51. Vanilla units"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the vessel that contains the seeds of a plant (not the seeds themselves)
  • Similar words include: cod, pod, seedpod
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PODS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "52. Spouts"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that expel or eject (saliva or phlegm or sputum) from the mouth
  • Similar words include: disgorge, cat, eruct
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "53. Romp"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that north american songbirds having a yellow breast
  • Similar words include: frisk, escapade, gambol
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LARK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" — and in real life 4
2D 2. Cattle call 9
3D 3. Went wide or long, as a tennis ball 9
4D 4. "No closer!" 8
5D 5. Takes off 6
6D 6. Wind pipe? 5
7D 7. Blight 3
8D 8. Getting a break on Broadway? 9
9D 9. Medleys 8
10D 10. Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever" 6
11D 11. Triumphs smoothly 5
12D 12. ___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist) 5
13D 13. "What this country ___ ..." 5
14D 16. Certain volleyballer 6
15D 20. Deck 4
16D 23. Once-popular terra-cotta figurine 7
17D 24. Trigger hair 4
18D 27. State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians 9
19D 28. Combo meal upgrade 9
20D 29. Going back ages 9
21D 30. ___ track 4
22D 32. Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef? 8
23D 33. Borderline 8
24D 35. Echolocation systems 6
25D 36. Element between copper and gallium on the periodic table 4
26D 37. Spelling combinations? 6
27D 38. They're concerned with feeding kits 6
28D 39. Pharyngeal woe 5
29D 40. Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple" 5
30D 41. Buckled 5
31D 42. Extend, in a way 5
32D 45. Chilly and damp 4
33D 47. "___ noticed" 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" — and in real life"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Cattle call"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Went wide or long, as a tennis ball"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. "No closer!""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Takes off"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that extending the legs at right angles to the trunk (one in front and the other in back)
  • Similar words include: Split, tear, split up
  • Opposite of: unite
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPLITS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Wind pipe?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a percussion instrument consisting of a set of tuned bells that are struck with a hammer; used as an orchestral instrument
  • Similar words include: gong, bell
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHIME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Blight"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a state of decay usually accompanied by an offensive odor
  • Similar words include: putrefaction, rotting, bunkum
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Getting a break on Broadway?"

9 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Medleys"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motley assortment of things
  • Similar words include: hodgepodge, ragbag, melange
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MELANGES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever""

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Triumphs smoothly"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rotary motion of an object around its own axis
  • Similar words include: revolve, bun, rolling wave
  • Opposite of: unwind
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROLLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. ___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist)"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
  • Similar words include: ant, pismire
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMMET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. "What this country ___ ...""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a condition requiring relief
  • Similar words include: penury, involve, want
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEEDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "16. Certain volleyballer"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one who sets written material into type
  • Similar words include: typesetter, typographer, compositor
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "20. Deck"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blow that renders the opponent unconscious
  • Similar words include: knockout, knock out, KO
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAYO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. Once-popular terra-cotta figurine"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "24. Trigger hair"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that long coarse hair growing from the crest of the animal's neck
  • Similar words include: head of hair
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MANE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. Combo meal upgrade"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Going back ages"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. ___ track"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that god of the underworld; counterpart of greek pluto
  • Similar words include: affront, Dis, Orcus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DISS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Borderline"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at or constituting a border or edge
  • Similar words include: bare, borderline, fringy
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARGINAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Echolocation systems"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return
  • Similar words include: echo sounder, asdic, sonar
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SONARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "36. Element between copper and gallium on the periodic table"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a bluish-white lustrous metallic element; brittle at ordinary temperatures but malleable when heated; used in a wide variety of alloys and in galvanizing iron; it occurs naturally as zinc sulphide in zinc blende
  • Similar words include: Zn, atomic number 30
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ZINC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Spelling combinations?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an assembly of witches; usually 13 witches
  • Similar words include: coven
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COVENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "38. They're concerned with feeding kits"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a malicious woman with a fierce temper
  • Similar words include: hellcat, vixen, harpy
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VIXENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "39. Pharyngeal woe"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that spherical gram-positive bacteria occurring in pairs or chains; cause e.g. scarlet fever and tonsillitis
  • Similar words include: streptococcal, streptococcus, streptococcic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STREP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "40. Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "41. Buckled"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hollow out as if making a cave or opening
  • Similar words include: spelunk, undermine, cave
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAVED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "42. Extend, in a way"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reestablish on a new, usually improved, basis or make new or like new
  • Similar words include: reincarnate, regenerate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RENEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "45. Chilly and damp"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that unpleasantly cool and humid
  • Similar words include: clammy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DANK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "47. "___ noticed""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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
33 Down Clues
66 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: May 16, 2026 at 06:11 AM