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Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Trivia Week 2 August 12, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword Hints

Quick NYT Mini Crossword August 12, 2026 (Trivia Week 2) - Solutions

Quick Summary: Today's NYT Mini Crossword has 20 clues total. We have all the answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!

Popular Puzzles: Todays NYT Crossword Across Clues_21 | October 16 2020 NYT Clues Solutions | October 23 2020 NYT Clues Solutions |

About Today's Puzzle

NYT Mini Crossword solutions for August 12, 2026
NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Puzzle Statistics
Detail Information
Date August 12, 2026
Grid Size 5 x 5 squares
Total Clues 20 clues
Across Clues 10 clues
Down Clues 10 clues
Average Solve Time Under 1 minute

Today's Trivia Week {week_num} NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout

This puzzle uses a 5 by 5 grid. That means 5 boxes across and 5 boxes down.

5x5 Crossword Grid Pattern
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3 Column 4 Column 5
Row 1          
Row 2          
Row 3          
Row 4          
Row 5          

How to Solve This Puzzle Fast

  1. Read all the clues first - your brain will start working on them
  2. Fill in the short words first (3 letters or less)
  3. Use the crossing letters to help with harder words
  4. If a clue has a question mark (?), it's probably a joke or play on words
  5. Common short words: THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT

Quick Facts About This Puzzle

  • Total squares in grid: 25 (5 times 5)
  • Average time to solve: Less than 1 minute
  • Best time to play: During a coffee break
  • Difficulty level: Made for everyone to enjoy

Across Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from left to right in the puzzle.

Across Clues List
Number Clue
1 Across 69. Baking amts.
2 Across 44. Word with run or resort
3 Across 56. "OK," in Osaka
4 Across 16. On the sea, it's akin to "Sí"
5 Across 43. Boba tea flavor
6 Across 27. Didn't have a match in Go Fish, say
7 Across 28. Feeling little to no amorous attraction, in L.G.B.T.Q.+ lingo
8 Across 15. Torment
9 Across 55. Extreme craving
10 Across 42. 2024 film that won Best Picture

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:

1 Across: "69. Baking amts."

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: T__S

Answer:

Click to reveal TSPS

2 Across: "44. Word with run or resort"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'S' and ends with 'I'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal SKI

3 Across: "56. "OK," in Osaka"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'H' and ends with 'I'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal HAI

4 Across: "16. On the sea, it's akin to "Sí""

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal AYE

5 Across: "43. Boba tea flavor"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'O'
  • Word pattern: T__O

Answer:

Click to reveal TARO

6 Across: "27. Didn't have a match in Go Fish, say"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'D' and ends with 'W'
  • Word pattern: D__W

Answer:

Click to reveal DREW

7 Across: "28. Feeling little to no amorous attraction, in L.G.B.T.Q.+ lingo"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'O'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal ARO

8 Across: "15. Torment"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 6 letters
  • It starts with 'H' and ends with 'W'
  • Word pattern: H____W

Answer:

Click to reveal HARROW

9 Across: "55. Extreme craving"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'L' and ends with 'T'
  • Word pattern: L__T

Answer:

Click to reveal LUST

10 Across: "42. 2024 film that won Best Picture"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 5 letters
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
  • Word pattern: A___A

Answer:

Click to reveal ANORA

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number Clue
1 Down 5. Hot French beverage
2 Down 52. Comes to deserve
3 Down 24. Break off gradually
4 Down 63. Singer Lana Del ___
5 Down 2. Bit of chemistry
6 Down 49. Fraud victim's filing
7 Down 59. Potato discards
8 Down 47. ___ Marian (English folklore heroine)
9 Down 8. Cusp
10 Down 26. Lawyer's aide, informally

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:

1 Down: "5. Hot French beverage"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal THE

2 Down: "52. Comes to deserve"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 5 letters
  • It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: E___S

Answer:

Click to reveal EARNS

3 Down: "24. Break off gradually"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'W' and ends with 'N'
  • Word pattern: W__N

Answer:

Click to reveal WEAN

4 Down: "63. Singer Lana Del ___"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 3 letters
  • It starts with 'R' and ends with 'Y'
  • This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal REY

5 Down: "2. Bit of chemistry"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'A' and ends with 'M'
  • Word pattern: A__M

Answer:

Click to reveal ATOM

6 Down: "49. Fraud victim's filing"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 5 letters
  • It starts with 'C' and ends with 'M'
  • Word pattern: C___M

Answer:

Click to reveal CLAIM

7 Down: "59. Potato discards"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
  • Word pattern: E__S

Answer:

Click to reveal EYES

8 Down: "47. ___ Marian (English folklore heroine)"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'M' and ends with 'D'
  • Word pattern: M__D

Answer:

Click to reveal MAID

9 Down: "8. Cusp"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 5 letters
  • It starts with 'B' and ends with 'K'
  • Word pattern: B___K

Answer:

Click to reveal BRINK

10 Down: "26. Lawyer's aide, informally"

Helpful hints:

  • This word has 4 letters
  • It starts with 'P' and ends with 'A'
  • Word pattern: P__A

Answer:

Click to reveal PARA

How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster

Here are the best tips from expert solvers:

Step-by-Step Strategy

  1. Quick Scan: Read all clues once. Your brain starts working on them right away.
  2. Easy First: Fill in the shortest words (2-3 letters). These are usually simple words like "IT" or "ON".
  3. Use Crossings: When letters cross, they help you figure out harder words.
  4. Watch for Wordplay: Clues with question marks (?) are jokes or puns.
  5. Common Words: Remember these appear often: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE.

Letter Tips That Really Help

  • The letter E is the most common in English
  • Words ending in S are often plurals
  • If you see "___" in a clue, the answer fits those blanks exactly
  • Abbreviations in clues mean the answer is also abbreviated

Time Goals to Aim For

Your Time Skill Level What It Means
Under 30 seconds Expert You know the puzzle patterns very well!
30-60 seconds Advanced Great job! You solve quickly.
1-2 minutes Good You're doing well. Keep practicing!
Over 2 minutes Learning You'll get faster with practice.

Puzzle Numbers and Facts

Today's Puzzle by the Numbers
Total Clues: 20 clues to solve
Grid Size: 5 boxes across, 5 boxes down
Total Squares: 25 squares to fill
Average Time: Most people solve in 45 seconds
Difficulty: A bit tricky

More Puzzle Help

If you like the NYT Mini, you might enjoy these other puzzles too:

Recent Crossword Solutions:

Common Questions About Trivia Week 2

When can I play the Trivia Week 2 Mini?

The Trivia Week 2 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 2?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 2 Mini in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Don't worry if you take longer - speed comes with practice!

Do I need to pay to play Trivia Week 2?

No! The Trivia Week 2 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 2 solver?

Good Trivia Week 2 solvers know common short words, can spot wordplay quickly, and use crossing letters well. Practice helps a lot!

Are the puzzles harder during Trivia Week 2?

Trivia Week 2 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

About This Page: We provide hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword to help you learn and improve. This site is not connected to The New York Times.

Last Updated: August 12, 2026 at 05:11 AM

Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, August 12 2026 mini crossword

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XWordHint Crossword Answers August 12, 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

August 12, 2026 NYT Crossword Solutions

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. Mentions by username, on social media 4
2A 5. High range 6
3A 11. Hits up on Insta, say 3
4A 14. ___ vez (again, in Spanish) 4
5A 15. Torment 6
6A 16. On the sea, it's akin to "Sí" 3
7A 17. Where Docs and Sheets are stored 11
8A 19. Jordan joined it in 1984, for short 3
9A 20. Pal 5
10A 21. Only number that appears twice in the Fibonacci sequence 3
11A 22. Rip-off 4
12A 23. Measurements of Wi-Fi performance 13
13A 27. Didn't have a match in Go Fish, say 4
14A 28. Feeling little to no amorous attraction, in L.G.B.T.Q.+ lingo 3
15A 29. Identity prefix 3
16A 32. Baldwin with a record 17 appearances as "Saturday Night Live" host 4
17A 35. Unwanted divisions 5
18A 38. Web volume measured in hits ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 49- and 61-Across 15
19A 42. 2024 film that won Best Picture 5
20A 43. Boba tea flavor 4
21A 44. Word with run or resort 3
22A 45. Throw, for instance 3
23A 46. Buddhist leader 4
24A 49. Major consequence of a virus, perhaps 13
25A 55. Extreme craving 4
26A 56. "OK," in Osaka 3
27A 57. "Like ___!" ("Whatever!") 5
28A 60. "Sorry, it's ___ from me" 3
29A 61. Cause of some slow data transfers 11
30A 64. Highly monitored area, for short 3
31A 65. Flowery 6
32A 66. Affinity for something, so to speak 4
33A 67. Home of Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware," with "the" 3
34A 68. Snipes of "White Men Can't Jump" 6
35A 69. Baking amts. 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Mentions by username, on social media"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a label written or printed on paper, cardboard, or plastic that is attached to something to indicate its owner, nature, price, etc.
  • Similar words include: tail, go after, ticket
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. High range"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the pitch range of the highest female voice
  • Similar words include: threefold, three-fold, double
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TREBLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Hits up on Insta, say"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that diabetes caused by a relative or absolute deficiency of insulin and characterized by polyuria
  • Similar words include: DM, dm, decimeter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. ___ vez (again, in Spanish)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Torment"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cultivator that pulverizes or smooths the soil
  • Similar words include: disk
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARROW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. On the sea, it's akin to "Sí""

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Where Docs and Sheets are stored"

11 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Jordan joined it in 1984, for short"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Pal"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a friend or comrade
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMIGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Only number that appears twice in the Fibonacci sequence"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: 1, peerless, nonpareil
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Rip-off"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fraudulent business scheme
  • Similar words include: defraud, gyp, con
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Measurements of Wi-Fi performance"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "27. Didn't have a match in Go Fish, say"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states actor (born in ireland); father of georgiana emma barrymore (1827-1862)
  • Similar words include: thread, trace, pass
  • Opposite of: repel, deposit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DREW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Feeling little to no amorous attraction, in L.G.B.T.Q.+ lingo"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Identity prefix"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an alliance made up of states that had been soviet socialist republics in the soviet union prior to its dissolution in dec 1991
  • Similar words include: Commonwealth of Independent States, Ci, curie
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Baldwin with a record 17 appearances as "Saturday Night Live" host"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Unwanted divisions"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a gap between cloud masses
  • Similar words include: breach, rift, falling out
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIFTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Web volume measured in hits ... or a hint to 17-, 23-, 49- and 61-Across"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "42. 2024 film that won Best Picture"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "43. Boba tea flavor"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that edible starchy tuberous root of taro plants
  • Similar words include: dasheen, taro root, edda
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. Word with run or resort"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that narrow wood or metal or plastic runners used in pairs for gliding over snow
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SKI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Throw, for instance"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
  • Similar words include: carpet, carpeting
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "46. Buddhist leader"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a tibetan or mongolian priest of lamaism
  • Similar words include: genus Lama
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "49. Major consequence of a virus, perhaps"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "55. Extreme craving"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strong sexual desire
  • Similar words include: hunger, lecherousness, crave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "56. "OK," in Osaka"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "57. "Like ___!" ("Whatever!")"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "60. "Sorry, it's ___ from me""

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a palestinian international terrorist organization that split from the plo in 1974; has conducted terrorist attacks in 20 countries
  • Similar words include: Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims, Abu Nidal Organization, Black September
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "61. Cause of some slow data transfers"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "64. Highly monitored area, for short"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hospital unit staffed and equipped to provide intensive care
  • Similar words include: intensive care unit
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ICU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "65. Flowery"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details; ; -john milton
  • Similar words include: flowery
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORNATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "66. Affinity for something, so to speak"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals
  • Similar words include: wind, poke, olfactory organ
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "67. Home of Emanuel Leutze's "Washington Crossing the Delaware," with "the""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that come together
  • Similar words include: fill, receive, run across
  • Opposite of: diverge
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "68. Snipes of "White Men Can't Jump""

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that english clergyman and brother of john wesley who wrote many hymns (1707-1788)
  • Similar words include: John Wesley, Charles Wesley
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WESLEY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "69. Baking amts."

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Party wrap 4
2D 2. Bit of chemistry 4
3D 3. Bad thing to pull while running 5
4D 4. Failed under pressure, in a way 6
5D 5. Hot French beverage 3
6D 6. "Sick, dude!" 3
7D 7. What a bug may cause 5
8D 8. Cusp 5
9D 9. Is gaga for 5
10D 10. Farm female 3
11D 11. "Battles" of those busting moves 9
12D 12. "I messed up" 5
13D 13. Lines in mines 5
14D 18. Tolkien fantasy series inits. 4
15D 22. Little flourish on a letter 5
16D 24. Break off gradually 4
17D 25. Barn nestling 5
18D 26. Lawyer's aide, informally 4
19D 29. Org. in the Jack Ryan movies 3
20D 30. Tabard ___, locale in "The Canterbury Tales" 3
21D 31. Leaves in a huff 9
22D 33. Greek letter representing elasticity in economics 3
23D 34. PC "copy" shortcut 5
24D 36. ___Tok 3
25D 37. STEM part: Abbr. 3
26D 39. Go ballistic 5
27D 40. Big name in pasta sauce 4
28D 41. Pride sound 4
29D 47. ___ Marian (English folklore heroine) 4
30D 48. It's on the up and up 6
31D 49. Fraud victim's filing 5
32D 50. Perfumery unit 5
33D 51. "And ... voilà!" 5
34D 52. Comes to deserve 5
35D 53. Measure up to, as in competition 5
36D 54. Nickname for M.L.B.'s Angels 5
37D 58. Feature of one's voice following a loud concert, say 4
38D 59. Potato discards 4
39D 61. Farm female 3
40D 62. It ends in septembre 3
41D 63. Singer Lana Del ___ 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Party wrap"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a one-piece cloak worn by men in ancient rome
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOGA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Bit of chemistry"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (physics and chemistry) the smallest component of an element having the chemical properties of the element
  • Similar words include: speck, molecule, corpuscle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Bad thing to pull while running"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the crease at the junction of the inner part of the thigh with the trunk together with the adjacent region and often including the external genitals
  • Similar words include: breakwater, seawall, bulwark
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GROIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Failed under pressure, in a way"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
  • Similar words include: droop, flag, sag down
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAGGED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Hot French beverage"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. "Sick, dude!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of absorbed ionizing radiation equal to 100 ergs per gram of irradiated material
  • Similar words include: radian
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. What a bug may cause"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
  • Similar words include: fault, misplay, erroneous belief
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERROR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Cusp"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a region marking a boundary
  • Similar words include: verge, threshold
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRINK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Is gaga for"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
  • Similar words include: roll in the hay, hump, fuck
  • Opposite of: hate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Farm female"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of a people living in southern benin and togo and southeastern ghana
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EWE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "Battles" of those busting moves"

9 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. "I messed up""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Lines in mines"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that joint consisting of a line formed by joining two pieces
  • Similar words include: wrinkle, bed, seam
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Tolkien fantasy series inits."

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Little flourish on a letter"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short line at the end of the main strokes of a character
  • Similar words include: seriph
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERIF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Break off gradually"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gradually deprive (infants and young mammals) of mother's milk
  • Similar words include: ablactate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Barn nestling"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Lawyer's aide, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (obstetrics) the number of liveborn children a woman has delivered
  • Similar words include: Feliz Lusitania, paratrooper, Belem
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Org. in the Jack Ryan movies"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an independent agency of the united states government responsible for collecting and coordinating intelligence and counterintelligence activities abroad in the national interest; headed by the director of central intelligence under the supervision of the president and national security council
  • Similar words include: Central Intelligence Agency
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "30. Tabard ___, locale in "The Canterbury Tales""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
  • Similar words include: hostel, lodge, auberge
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "31. Leaves in a huff"

9 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "33. Greek letter representing elasticity in economics"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a terrorist organization organized in 1959 by student activists who were dissatisfied with the moderate nationalism of the traditional basque party; want to create an independent homeland in spain's western pyrenees
  • Similar words include: Euskadi ta Askatasuna, Basque Homeland and Freedom, Basque Fatherland and Liberty
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. PC "copy" shortcut"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "36. ___Tok"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "37. STEM part: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Go ballistic"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that start abruptly
  • Similar words include: flare up, break, break through
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERUPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Big name in pasta sauce"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "41. Pride sound"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deep prolonged loud noise
  • Similar words include: holler, bellow, hollo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. ___ Marian (English folklore heroine)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a female domestic
  • Similar words include: maiden, maidservant, housemaid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "48. It's on the up and up"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an upward slope or grade (as in a road)
  • Similar words include: upgrade, climb, rising
  • Opposite of: fall, descent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASCENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "49. Fraud victim's filing"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
  • Similar words include: take, call, arrogate
  • Opposite of: forfeit, disclaim
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLAIM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Perfumery unit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of apothecary weight equal to 480 grains or one twelfth of a pound
  • Similar words include: oz., snow leopard, troy ounce
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUNCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. "And ... voilà!""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a location other than here; that place
  • Similar words include: at that place, in that respect, in that location
  • Opposite of: here
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THERE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Comes to deserve"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that earn on some commercial or business transaction; earn as salary or wages
  • Similar words include: realise, bring in, garner
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EARNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. Measure up to, as in competition"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the contestant you hope to defeat
  • Similar words include: equal, competition, challenger
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIVAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Nickname for M.L.B.'s Angels"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an indication of radiant light drawn around the head of a saint
  • Similar words include: aura, glory, aureole
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "58. Feature of one's voice following a loud concert, say"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that uttering in an irritated tone
  • Similar words include: rasping, wood file
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RASP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "59. Potato discards"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that opinion or judgment
  • Similar words include: heart, optic, oculus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. Farm female"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adult female hog
  • Similar words include: seed, inseminate, sow in
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "62. It ends in septembre"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "63. Singer Lana Del ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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
41 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 12, 2026 at 05:10 AM

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Thursday, June 18, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 18, 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

June 18, 2026 NYT Crossword Solutions

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"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

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""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Sole"

4 letters Category: Common Word

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"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

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?"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. "ur funny""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Essence"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

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"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Adrenaline surge providers"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "25. Bit of Yahtzee equipment"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

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""

4 letters Category: Common Word

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"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

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)"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Feminine sides"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

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?"

13 letters Category: Common Word

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"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

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"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Mix-___ (ice cream shop supply)"

3 letters Category: Common Word

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Like shipping that's not quite overnight"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

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"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "49. "Next one's on me""

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. [So heavy!]"

5 letters Category: Common Word

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"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

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?"

15 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "57. Relative of Hindi"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

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"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "60. They might be seeded"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

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"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

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"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Hermana de la madre"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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"

11 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Big name in archery equipment"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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

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10D: "10. Former governor Schwarzenegger, informally"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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11D: "11. Occur at the same time"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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

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12D: "12. Skillful move"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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

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13D: "13. Lit. course"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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14D: "18. Improvise"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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15D: "19. Chemical agent used to make frosted glass"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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16D: "24. The terrible twos, for one"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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

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17D: "25. "Use at your own risk" and "Not professional advice," for two"

11 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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

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18D: "26. "Of the foot" prefix"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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19D: "29. Rose (up), in dialect"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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20D: "32. ___ Lion, Penn State mascot"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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21D: "34. Nonspecific response to "Who's there?""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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22D: "35. Like pickles and some potato salads"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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

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23D: "36. Chill way to take things"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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24D: "37. Kid-lit character who says "It's not much of a tail, but I'm sort of attached to it""

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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25D: "38. Where many things get tossed"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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

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26D: "42. Follower of quick or dim"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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27D: "44. Checking out"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Similar words include: eyeball, eye
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EYEING

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28D: "45. $2 coin, eh?"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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29D: "46. Drive"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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

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30D: "48. Masters"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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

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31D: "50. Cellar stock"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

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

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32D: "52. What time did in fun times"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

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

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33D: "54. Traditional parka material"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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

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34D: "55. Boston's Mass ___"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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35D: "56. 1.0 G.P.A."

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

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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

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: June 18, 2026 at 08:24 AM

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