Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (33 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (35 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging
Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!
Across Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 1. Leader in a robe called a kasaya | 4 |
| 2A | 5. Some malty offerings | 9 |
| 3A | 14. Jejune | 4 |
| 4A | 15. Coupling rings? | 10 |
| 5A | 17. Come (together) | 4 |
| 6A | 18. One sharing gold | 10 |
| 7A | 19. Remy's brother in "Ratatouille" | 5 |
| 8A | 21. High tea treat | 5 |
| 9A | 22. Mathematician Terence, winner of the 2006 Fields Medal | 3 |
| 10A | 23. ___ Ball, 2021 N.B.A. Rookie of the Year | 6 |
| 11A | 25. Key for getting out | 3 |
| 12A | 26. Gave temporarily | 4 |
| 13A | 27. One-named pop star with Monkey Puzzle Records | 3 |
| 14A | 28. ___ tov (Jewish festival) | 3 |
| 15A | 30. Advantageous | 5 |
| 16A | 32. Losing control emotionally, in slang | 11 |
| 17A | 36. Drama club enthusiast | 11 |
| 18A | 38. Italian hero? | 11 |
| 19A | 40. Bold | 5 |
| 20A | 42. Étendue bleue | 3 |
| 21A | 43. Hindi for "reign" | 3 |
| 22A | 45. Focus of a concussion protocol | 4 |
| 23A | 46. N.L. East team, on scoreboards | 3 |
| 24A | 49. Especially ornate | 6 |
| 25A | 51. Mass. summer setting | 3 |
| 26A | 52. Jack up | 5 |
| 27A | 54. School units | 5 |
| 28A | 55. In place? | 10 |
| 29A | 58. Stuff in shakers | 4 |
| 30A | 59. "Aww!" | 10 |
| 31A | 60. Target of a search party | 4 |
| 32A | 61. Is canned | 9 |
| 33A | 62. Word repeated before "against the dying of the light" in a Dylan Thomas poem | 4 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Leader in a robe called a kasaya"
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!
2A: "5. Some malty offerings"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMBERALES
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3A: "14. Jejune"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that lacking sufficient water or rainfall
- Similar words include: desiccated, desiccate, waterless
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARID
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4A: "15. Coupling rings?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOOTYCALLS
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5A: "17. Come (together)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an unofficial association of people or groups
- Similar words include: banding, set, dance orchestra
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAND
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6A: "18. One sharing gold"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COCHAMPION
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7A: "19. Remy's brother in "Ratatouille""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the boy whose upbringing was described by jean-jacques rousseau
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMILE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8A: "21. High tea treat"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that small biscuit (rich with cream and eggs) cut into diamonds or sticks and baked in an oven or (especially originally) on a griddle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCONE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "22. Mathematician Terence, winner of the 2006 Fields Medal"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an adherent of any branch of taoism
- Similar words include: Taoist
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAO
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10A: "23. ___ Ball, 2021 N.B.A. Rookie of the Year"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAMELO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "25. Key for getting out"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESC
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12A: "26. Gave temporarily"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a period of 40 weekdays from ash wednesday to holy saturday
- Similar words include: loan, impart, Lententide
- Opposite of: borrow
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LENT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "27. One-named pop star with Monkey Puzzle Records"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "28. ___ tov (Jewish festival)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YOM
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15A: "30. Advantageous"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFUSE
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16A: "32. Losing control emotionally, in slang"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRASHINGOUT
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17A: "36. Drama club enthusiast"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THEATERGEEK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "38. Italian hero?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEATBALLSUB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "40. Bold"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that offensively bold
- Similar words include: nervy, cheeky
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BRASH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "42. Étendue bleue"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that denoting a quantity consisting of 1,000 items or units
- Similar words include: 1000, m, one thousand
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "43. Hindi for "reign""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that british dominion over india (1757-1947)
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAJ
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "45. Focus of a concussion protocol"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
- Similar words include: lead, manoeuvre, caput
- Opposite of: foot, rear
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "46. N.L. East team, on scoreboards"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the 21st letter of the greek alphabet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PHI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "49. Especially ornate"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in france in the 18th century
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROCOCO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "51. Mass. summer setting"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EDT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "52. Jack up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that lifting device for raising heavy or cumbersome objects
- Similar words include: wind, run up, lift
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOIST
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "54. School units"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
- Similar words include: desk
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DESKS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "55. In place?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHEREITSAT
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29A: "58. Stuff in shakers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
- Similar words include: common salt, salinity, saltiness
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SALT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "59. "Aww!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SODARNCUTE
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31A: "60. Target of a search party"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one who is away or absent without leave
- Similar words include: truant
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AWOL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "61. Is canned"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GETSTHEAX
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "62. Word repeated before "against the dying of the light" in a Dylan Thomas poem"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a feeling of intense anger
- Similar words include: ramp, fad, furor
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAGE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Names | 6 |
| 2D | 2. Language spoken by Jesus | 7 |
| 3D | 3. Place for a quick stop | 8 |
| 4D | 4. Puzzle | 5 |
| 5D | 5. La ti do, musically | 3 |
| 6D | 6. Bovine sounds | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Sport similar to pétanque | 5 |
| 8D | 8. Character | 5 |
| 9D | 9. "Sinners" director, 2025 | 11 |
| 10D | 10. Apogee | 4 |
| 11D | 11. Where a serviette is laid | 3 |
| 12D | 12. Haut monde | 6 |
| 13D | 13. ___ Crosley, author of 2008's "I Was Told There'd Be Cake" | 6 |
| 14D | 16. Impudent sort | 4 |
| 15D | 20. Paris's Champs-___ | 7 |
| 16D | 24. Grand Canyon lookout whose name suggests visitors' reactions | 11 |
| 17D | 26. Some baroque instruments | 5 |
| 18D | 29. Diamond wear | 4 |
| 19D | 31. Metal tube in a nuclear reactor | 7 |
| 20D | 33. Jazz musician Jamal | 5 |
| 21D | 34. Neighbor of Colo. | 3 |
| 22D | 35. Mass unit | 4 |
| 23D | 37. First filmmaker to receive the Order of Culture in Japan | 8 |
| 24D | 39. Unprocessed inventory | 7 |
| 25D | 40. One might leave you unprotected at night | 6 |
| 26D | 41. What kid-friendly games typically are | 6 |
| 27D | 44. What big crowds do | 6 |
| 28D | 45. Fells | 4 |
| 29D | 47. Hang-up | 5 |
| 30D | 48. Something raised in a meeting | 5 |
| 31D | 50. Julio ___ Chávez (boxing legend) | 5 |
| 32D | 52. Possessive pronoun | 4 |
| 33D | 53. "Cheerio" | 4 |
| 34D | 56. Snitch | 3 |
| 35D | 57. Neighbor of Ark. | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Names"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a brief description given for purposes of identification
- Similar words include: tag, recording label, mark
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABELS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. Language spoken by Jesus"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a semitic language originally of the ancient arameans but still spoken by other people in southwestern asia
- Similar words include: Aramaic script
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARAMAIC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Place for a quick stop"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINIMART
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Puzzle"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that mix up or confuse
- Similar words include: puddle, muddle
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDLE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. La ti do, musically"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)
- Similar words include: first principle, ABCs, alphabet
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABC
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Bovine sounds"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the sound made by a cow or bull
- Similar words include: low, moo
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOOS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Sport similar to pétanque"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that italian bowling played on a long narrow dirt court
- Similar words include: bocci, boccie
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOCCE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Character"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (anthropology) the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHOS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. "Sinners" director, 2025"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RYANCOOGLER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Apogee"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
- Similar words include: meridian, top, vertex
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Where a serviette is laid"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the upper side of the thighs of a seated person
- Similar words include: lap covering, circuit, overlap
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Haut monde"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a group or class of persons enjoying superior intellectual or social or economic status
- Similar words include: elite group, elite
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELITES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. ___ Crosley, author of 2008's "I Was Told There'd Be Cake""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOANE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "16. Impudent sort"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a person regarded as arrogant and annoying
- Similar words include: snob, prig, snoot
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SNOT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "20. Paris's Champs-___"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELYSEES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "24. Grand Canyon lookout whose name suggests visitors' reactions"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OOHAAHPOINT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "26. Some baroque instruments"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a substance for packing a joint or coating a porous surface to make it impervious to gas or liquid
- Similar words include: luting, lute
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUTES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "29. Diamond wear"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
- Similar words include: manus, baseball glove, paw
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MITT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "31. Metal tube in a nuclear reactor"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUELROD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "33. Jazz musician Jamal"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AHMAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "34. Neighbor of Colo."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a long projecting or anterior elongation of an animal's head; especially the nose
- Similar words include: bill, snout, beak
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "35. Mass unit"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a metric unit of weight equal to one thousandth of a kilogram
- Similar words include: g, gramme, gm
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GRAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "37. First filmmaker to receive the Order of Culture in Japan"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that japanese filmmaker noted for blending japanese folklore with western styles of acting (1910-1998)
- Similar words include: Akira Kurosawa
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KUROSAWA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "39. Unprocessed inventory"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an accumulation of jobs not done or materials not processed that are yet to be dealt with (especially unfilled customer orders for products or services)
- Similar words include: reserve, stockpile
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BACKLOG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "40. One might leave you unprotected at night"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEDHOG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "41. What kid-friendly games typically are"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RATEDE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "44. What big crowds do"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of jostling (forcing your way by pushing)
- Similar words include: shove, jostling
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JOSTLE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "45. Fells"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that make or shape as with an axe
- Similar words include: hew out, hew
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEWS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "47. Hang-up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a period of time spent in military service
- Similar words include: limp, tour of duty, preventive
- Opposite of: unhitch
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HITCH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "48. Something raised in a meeting"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an important question that is in dispute and must be settled
- Similar words include: topic, cut, issuance
- Opposite of: recall
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ISSUE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "50. Julio ___ Chávez (boxing legend)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CESAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "52. Possessive pronoun"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HERS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "53. "Cheerio""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TATA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "56. Snitch"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse
- Similar words include: blackleg, lowlife, give away
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "57. Neighbor of Ark."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEX
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
35 Down Clues
68 Total Clues
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