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Wednesday, June 24, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 24, 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: 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. Retro kind of hairstyle 5
2A 6. Pinkglow pineapples and GloFish, for short 4
3A 10. Article of apparel often worn with sandals 4
4A 14. Ancient Greek marketplace 5
5A 15. Symphony site 4
6A 16. Singer Tori 4
7A 17. "Sleigh's loaded and ready! How are you feeling, Santa?" 10
8A 19. Son of Seth 4
9A 20. Ingested 3
10A 21. Like cotton candy 4
11A 22. Tolerate 5
12A 23. Not notice 4
13A 25. "I'm at the bakery – what kind of doughnut do you want?" 10
14A 28. Confused 5
15A 30. Fire ... or a firefighter's tool 3
16A 31. Kind of dairy-free milk developed in the 1990s 3
17A 32. Stubborn beast 3
18A 34. Uplifting coverage? 3
19A 35. Liberal ___ 4
20A 36. Hand-held radios used by the speakers of the italicized clues and their answers? 13
21A 40. Amps (up) 4
22A 41. "___ Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1965 #1 hit) 3
23A 42. Governor Walz, who ran with Kamala Harris 3
24A 43. Teacher's pest 3
25A 44. Fish with a Kohaku variety 3
26A 45. They're cover-ups! 5
27A 49. "What's tomorrow's chemistry exam about again?" 10
28A 54. Pastry that often has a fluted edge 4
29A 55. "See ya!" 5
30A 56. Look before you do this 4
31A 58. Deg. for an entrepreneur 3
32A 59. Jonathan Van ___ ("Queer Eye" co-star) 4
33A 60. "Before you go, what animal crosses the road in that old joke?" 10
34A 63. What postseason games can't end in 4
35A 64. ___ bean 4
36A 65. Citrus-based sauce in Japanese cuisine 5
37A 66. Big name in e-commerce 4
38A 67. Sign of things to come 4
39A 68. Wow 5

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Retro kind of hairstyle"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "6. Pinkglow pineapples and GloFish, for short"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Article of apparel often worn with sandals"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

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!

4A: "14. Ancient Greek marketplace"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that 100 agorot equal 1 shekel in israel
  • Similar words include: public square
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGORA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Symphony site"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
  • Similar words include: Charles Francis Hall, vestibule, mansion house
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Singer Tori"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hebrew shepherd and minor prophet
  • Similar words include: Book of Amos
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. "Sleigh's loaded and ready! How are you feeling, Santa?""

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Son of Seth"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Ingested"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goddess of criminal rashness and its punishment
  • Similar words include: eat on, wipe out, deplete
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Like cotton candy"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
  • Similar words include: spin around, spin out, whirl
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPUN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "22. Tolerate"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put up with something or somebody unpleasant
  • Similar words include: bear, tolerate, stand
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ABIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "23. Not notice"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a young woman
  • Similar words include: drop, overlook, young woman
  • Opposite of: attend to, hit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. "I'm at the bakery – what kind of doughnut do you want?""

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Confused"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Fire ... or a firefighter's tool"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an edge tool with a heavy bladed head mounted across a handle
  • Similar words include: ax
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Kind of dairy-free milk developed in the 1990s"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that annual grass of europe and north africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: `oats')
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Stubborn beast"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Uplifting coverage?"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. Liberal ___"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
  • Similar words include: fine art, artistry, liberal arts
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "36. Hand-held radios used by the speakers of the italicized clues and their answers?"

13 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Amps (up)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that liveliness and energy
  • Similar words include: ginger, peppiness, pep
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. "___ Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter" (1965 #1 hit)"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a form of address for a married woman
  • Similar words include: Mr., Mister, Mrs.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Governor Walz, who ran with Kamala Harris"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Teacher's pest"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (folklore) fairies that are somewhat mischievous
  • Similar words include: pixy, brownie, scallywag
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Fish with a Kohaku variety"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. They're cover-ups!"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that waterproofed canvas
  • Similar words include: tarp, tarpaulin
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TARPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "49. "What's tomorrow's chemistry exam about again?""

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Pastry that often has a fluted edge"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a woman who engages in sexual intercourse for money
  • Similar words include: cocotte, woman of the street, sourish
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TART

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. "See ya!""

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a farewell remark
  • Similar words include: good day, goodby, goodbye
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADIOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Look before you do this"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
  • Similar words include: jump, bound, saltation
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "58. Deg. for an entrepreneur"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a master's degree in business
  • Similar words include: Master in Business, Master in Business Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. Jonathan Van ___ ("Queer Eye" co-star)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strip of land projecting into a body of water
  • Similar words include: cape
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "60. "Before you go, what animal crosses the road in that old joke?""

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "63. What postseason games can't end in"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that neckwear consisting of a long narrow piece of material worn (mostly by men) under a collar and tied in knot at the front
  • Similar words include: association, tie, link
  • Opposite of: untie, disconnect
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "64. ___ bean"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "65. Citrus-based sauce in Japanese cuisine"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "66. Big name in e-commerce"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "67. Sign of things to come"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sign of something about to happen
  • Similar words include: portent, Oman, auspicate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "68. Wow"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that affect with wonder
  • Similar words include: nonplus, puzzle, mystify
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMAZE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Kind of pants worn on a rainy day, perhaps 6
2D 2. "Aha!" 6
3D 3. Equally 6
4D 4. Link letters 3
5D 5. Approves a Venmo request, perhaps 4
6D 6. Storied graverobber 5
7D 7. ___ cum laude 5
8D 8. World Cup cheer 3
9D 9. Camera type, for short 3
10D 10. Workout program that's a portmanteau of two different sports 5
11D 11. Grizzly or black bear (but typically not a panda) 8
12D 12. A satisfying meal, informally 8
13D 13. Claims 7
14D 18. D&D or WoW 3
15D 22. Lemon add-on 3
16D 24. Important creatures in Inuit culture 5
17D 26. Popular fast-fashion brand 4
18D 27. Glorify 5
19D 29. Hit up 3
20D 33. Paul who's been inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 5
21D 34. Band whose spelled-out name translates to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts" 3
22D 35. Put in the cross hairs 5
23D 36. "Whew! Our journey is over!" 8
24D 37. Makes aware (of) 8
25D 38. Children's author Carle 4
26D 39. A little foxy? 3
27D 40. Very spicy 7
28D 44. Goals for boxers, in brief 3
29D 46. Sportswriter Shelburne 6
30D 47. Marketing team's goal with a new product launch, informally 6
31D 48. Pygmalion's Galatea, for one 6
32D 50. Like a commanding lead? 5
33D 51. Dark yellowish-green 5
34D 52. Thanksgiving pie nut 5
35D 53. One in a Himalayan herd 3
36D 57. Salt-N-___, "Shoop" group 4
37D 60. One who holds a company's purse strings, in brief 3
38D 61. One who's yukking it up 3
39D 62. French identification 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Kind of pants worn on a rainy day, perhaps"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a pair of loose trousers tied by a drawstring around the waist; worn by men and women in some asian countries
  • Similar words include: pyjama, jammies, pj's
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAJAMA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. "Aha!""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Equally"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Link letters"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Approves a Venmo request, perhaps"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that remunerates
  • Similar words include: compensate, pay, remuneration
  • Opposite of: default
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAYS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Storied graverobber"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who takes bodies from graves and sells them for anatomical dissection
  • Similar words include: graverobber, body snatcher
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GHOUL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. ___ cum laude"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. World Cup cheer"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Camera type, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Workout program that's a portmanteau of two different sports"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Grizzly or black bear (but typically not a panda)"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who eats all kinds of foods
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OMNIVORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. A satisfying meal, informally"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Claims"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that state categorically
  • Similar words include: assert, avow, swan
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASSERTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. D&D or WoW"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Lemon add-on"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice
  • Similar words include: fruit drink
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Important creatures in Inuit culture"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

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: sealing wax, Navy SEAL, stamp
  • Opposite of: unseal
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "26. Popular fast-fashion brand"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Glorify"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that praise, glorify, or honor
  • Similar words include: inebriate, inspire, exhilarate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "29. Hit up"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inquire about
  • Similar words include: call for, demand, take
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "33. Paul who's been inducted twice into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of the twelve apostles (first century)
  • Similar words include: St. Simon, Marvin Neil Simon, Neil Simon
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIMON

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "34. Band whose spelled-out name translates to "Bulletproof Boy Scouts""

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Put in the cross hairs"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. "Whew! Our journey is over!""

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Makes aware (of)"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that inform (somebody) of something
  • Similar words include: advise, send word, give notice
  • Opposite of: depreciate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APPRISES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Children's author Carle"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. A little foxy?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a case for containing a set of articles
  • Similar words include: outfit, kit out, kit up
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Very spicy"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Goals for boxers, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (in india) a unit of length having different values in different localities
  • Similar words include: coss, knockout, KO
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "46. Sportswriter Shelburne"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that shrubby plant with aromatic greyish-green leaves used as a cooking herb
  • Similar words include: Salvia officinalis, common sage
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAMONA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "47. Marketing team's goal with a new product launch, informally"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Pygmalion's Galatea, for one"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sculpture representing a human or animal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STATUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "50. Like a commanding lead?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power
  • Similar words include: high-and-mighty, peremptory, dominating
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOSSY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. Dark yellowish-green"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small ovoid fruit of the european olive tree; important food and source of oil
  • Similar words include: European olive tree, Olea europaea
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OLIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Thanksgiving pie nut"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that wood of a pecan tree
  • Similar words include: Carya illinoinsis, pecan tree, Carya illinoensis
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PECAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. One in a Himalayan herd"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that large long-haired wild ox of tibet often domesticated
  • Similar words include: yack, cackle, chatter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Salt-N-___, "Shoop" group"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "60. One who holds a company's purse strings, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the corporate executive having financial authority to make appropriations and authorize expenditures for a firm
  • Similar words include: chief financial officer
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CFO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "61. One who's yukking it up"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
  • Similar words include: ham it up, jambon, gammon
  • Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "62. French identification"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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

39 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
78 Total Clues

More NYT Crossword Help

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Last updated: June 24, 2026 at 07:00 AM

Wednesday, June 17, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 17, 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. Like Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, some say 7
2A 8. App brought back by Microsoft in 2024 3
3A 11. Swear 4
4A 15. Disney film set in a fictional Colombian village 7
5A 16. BEFORE (Deck 1): Slackers 8
6A 18. Celebrity 7
7A 19. Fast-paced scam, such as the shell game 8
8A 20. BEFORE (Deck 2): PlayStation and Switch 8
9A 22. Laterite, for example 3
10A 23. Folkie DiFranco 3
11A 24. Chills 5
12A 26. "___ Recall" (1990 sci-fi film) 5
13A 31. Jay who hosted the 2020s revival of "You Bet Your Life" 4
14A 33. Wild European rabbit in Australia, e.g. 4
15A 36. Beer buy 4
16A 37. Join tightly 4
17A 41. BEFORE (Deck 3): Quarry 8
18A 43. Casino maneuvers carried out three times in this puzzle? 14
19A 46. AFTER (Deck 3): Crucial moment in a tennis match 8
20A 47. Osso ___ (veal dish) 4
21A 48. "The Emperor's New Groove" setting 4
22A 49. Blond, but not really 4
23A 51. Many a discovery in the Valley of the Kings 4
24A 55. Visit by plane 5
25A 57. ___ With Friends 5
26A 61. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" 3
27A 62. Telepathy, e.g. 3
28A 65. AFTER (Deck 2): Noted quality of the Fonz 8
29A 67. Geraldo Rivera uncovered his "vaults" on live TV 8
30A 72. "___ the Day" (Thomas Pynchon's longest novel) 7
31A 73. AFTER (Deck 1): Slackers 8
32A 74. Was up the river 7
33A 75. Awards achievement reached in 2026 by Steven Spielberg 4
34A 76. Outdo 3
35A 77. Rival of a Raven 7

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Like Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, some say"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cast an actor, singer, or dancer in an unsuitable role
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MISCAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "8. App brought back by Microsoft in 2024"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "11. Swear"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a persistently annoying person
  • Similar words include: pest, feller, swearword
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUSS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "15. Disney film set in a fictional Colombian village"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "16. BEFORE (Deck 1): Slackers"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Celebrity"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the status of being acknowledged as a star
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STARDOM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Fast-paced scam, such as the shell game"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. BEFORE (Deck 2): PlayStation and Switch"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small table fixed to a wall or designed to stand against a wall
  • Similar words include: cabinet, solace, console table
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CONSOLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "22. Laterite, for example"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "23. Folkie DiFranco"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that black tropical american cuckoo
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Chills"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something left after other parts have been taken away
  • Similar words include: roost, residue, stay
  • Opposite of: change, be active
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. "___ Recall" (1990 sci-fi film)"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the whole amount
  • Similar words include: summate, add together, tot
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOTAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "31. Jay who hosted the 2020s revival of "You Bet Your Life""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "33. Wild European rabbit in Australia, e.g."

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a serious (sometimes fatal) infection of rodents caused by yersinia pestis and accidentally transmitted to humans by the bite of a flea that has bitten an infected animal
  • Similar words include: plague, cuss, blighter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "36. Beer buy"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an occurrence of something
  • Similar words include: compositor's case, type, pillowcase
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "37. Join tightly"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an electrical device that can interrupt the flow of electrical current when it is overloaded
  • Similar words include: commingle, flux, fuze
  • Opposite of: defuse
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "41. BEFORE (Deck 3): Quarry"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "43. Casino maneuvers carried out three times in this puzzle?"

14 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "46. AFTER (Deck 3): Crucial moment in a tennis match"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "47. Osso ___ (veal dish)"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "48. "The Emperor's New Groove" setting"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a republic in western south america; achieved independence from spain in 1821; was the heart of the inca empire from the 12th to 16th centuries
  • Similar words include: Republic of Peru
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "49. Blond, but not really"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that color with dye
  • Similar words include: bleached, colored, dye
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DYED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "51. Many a discovery in the Valley of the Kings"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
  • Similar words include: grave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "55. Visit by plane"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "57. ___ With Friends"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the words that are spoken
  • Similar words include: quarrel, password, give-and-take
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORDS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "61. Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "62. Telepathy, e.g."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure
  • Similar words include: pounds per square inch
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PSI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "65. AFTER (Deck 2): Noted quality of the Fonz"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that calm and unruffled self-assurance
  • Similar words include: iciness, imperturbableness, chilliness
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COOLNESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "67. Geraldo Rivera uncovered his "vaults" on live TV"

8 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "72. "___ the Day" (Thomas Pynchon's longest novel)"

7 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "73. AFTER (Deck 1): Slackers"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "74. Was up the river"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "75. Awards achievement reached in 2026 by Steven Spielberg"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "76. Outdo"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the upper part of anything
  • Similar words include: summit, meridian, spinning top
  • Opposite of: bottom
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "77. Rival of a Raven"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Paul who played William Shakespeare in "Hamnet" 6
2D 2. Vocalize 6
3D 3. Digitize, as a document 6
4D 4. "Just What I Needed" band, with "the" 4
5D 5. Disney+ series whose name sounds like a compound conjunction 5
6D 6. Got via the "five-finger discount" 5
7D 7. "The Complete Works of ..." books, say 5
8D 8. Booker T.'s backing band 3
9D 9. Neighborhood mentioned in "Werewolves of London" 4
10D 10. Former queen of Jordan 4
11D 11. Portable bed 3
12D 12. Mixed martial arts org. 3
13D 13. Bay Area airport code 3
14D 14. ID thief's target: Abbr. 3
15D 17. Instrument ridge 4
16D 21. Valvoline rival 3
17D 25. Gathering, informally 4
18D 27. Cat that's spotted in South America 6
19D 28. It's on a roll 4
20D 29. Sale caveat 4
21D 30. Permitted to 3
22D 32. Repelled 6
23D 34. Scrapbook keepsake 4
24D 35. Popcorn ___ (fried vegan treat) 4
25D 38. Subject of a declassified Pentagon document, in brief 3
26D 39. Averted a tag, maybe 4
27D 40. Start of a counting-out rhyme 4
28D 42. Lions and Bears are in it, in brief 3
29D 43. Stagger 4
30D 44. "Hey, doing my best" 4
31D 45. Goulash, e.g. 4
32D 46. UV blockage fig. 3
33D 50. Medical moniker 3
34D 52. Final score of at least 10% of professional soccer matches 6
35D 53. "Glad I'm back?" 6
36D 54. Thanksgiving kitchen tool 6
37D 56. Research for a political hit, slangily 4
38D 58. Map lines 5
39D 59. Give minimum effort 5
40D 60. British glam rock band of the 1970s 5
41D 63. Lenient 4
42D 64. 411 4
43D 66. TV's Nick at ___ 4
44D 67. Gray, say 3
45D 68. Record 3
46D 69. Bill's partner 3
47D 70. Back at sea 3
48D 71. "Ability" that's hard to believe, for short 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Paul who played William Shakespeare in "Hamnet""

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small spineless globe-shaped cactus; source of mescal buttons
  • Similar words include: peyote, mezcal, Lophophora williamsii
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MESCAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Vocalize"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter monotonously and repetitively and rhythmically
  • Similar words include: cantillate, intonate, chant
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INTONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Digitize, as a document"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. "Just What I Needed" band, with "the""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
  • Similar words include: motorcar, elevator car, railcar
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Disney+ series whose name sounds like a compound conjunction"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Got via the "five-finger discount""

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. "The Complete Works of ..." books, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a (usually) large and scholarly book
  • Similar words include: tome
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Booker T.'s backing band"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one thousandth (1/1,000) gram
  • Similar words include: milligram, magnesium, Mg
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MGS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Neighborhood mentioned in "Werewolves of London""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a district in southwestern manhattan noted for its shops and restaurants and galleries and artist's lofts
  • Similar words include: South of Houston
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOHO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Former queen of Jordan"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Portable bed"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Mixed martial arts org."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Bay Area airport code"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. ID thief's target: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "17. Instrument ridge"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that agitation resulting from active worry
  • Similar words include: Greek key, stew, choke
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "21. Valvoline rival"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard temperature and pressure
  • Similar words include: s.t.p.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Gathering, informally"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Cat that's spotted in South America"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that nocturnal wildcat of central america and south america having a dark-spotted buff-brown coat
  • Similar words include: Felis pardalis, panther cat
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OCELOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "28. It's on a roll"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin piece of cloth or paper as used for binding or fastening
  • Similar words include: videotape, tapeline, taping
  • Opposite of: erase
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Sale caveat"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "30. Permitted to"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a brutal terrorist group active in kashmir; fights against india with the goal of restoring islamic rule of india
  • Similar words include: allow, countenance, get
  • Opposite of: disallow, prevent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "32. Repelled"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "34. Scrapbook keepsake"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short piece remaining on a trunk or stem where a branch is lost
  • Similar words include: ticket stub, nub, check stub
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "35. Popcorn ___ (fried vegan treat)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cheeselike food made of curdled soybean milk
  • Similar words include: bean curd
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOFU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Subject of a declassified Pentagon document, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an (apparently) flying object whose nature is unknown; especially those considered to have extraterrestrial origins
  • Similar words include: flying saucer, unidentified flying object
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UFO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Averted a tag, maybe"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
  • Similar words include: slew, slue, slither
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Start of a counting-out rhyme"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Lions and Bears are in it, in brief"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. Stagger"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a roll of photographic film holding a series of frames to be projected by a movie projector
  • Similar words include: stagger, whirl, swag
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. "Hey, doing my best""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "45. Goulash, e.g."

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that agitation resulting from active worry
  • Similar words include: swither, fret, sweat
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "46. UV blockage fig."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the degree to which a sunscreen protects the skin from the direct rays of the sun
  • Similar words include: sun protection factor
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Medical moniker"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a licensed medical practitioner
  • Similar words include: MD, Commerce, medico
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. Final score of at least 10% of professional soccer matches"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "53. "Glad I'm back?""

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "54. Thanksgiving kitchen tool"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cook who bastes roasting meat with melted fat or gravy
  • Similar words include: tacker
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Research for a political hit, slangily"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "58. Map lines"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a partly sheltered anchorage
  • Similar words include: road, route, roadstead
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "59. Give minimum effort"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

40D: "60. British glam rock band of the 1970s"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

41D: "63. Lenient"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that yielding readily to pressure or weight
  • Similar words include: diffused, easy, gentle
  • Opposite of: hard, forte
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

42D: "64. 411"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

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!

43D: "66. TV's Nick at ___"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

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44D: "67. Gray, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that how long something has existed
  • Similar words include: historic period, years, maturate
  • Opposite of: rejuvenate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGE

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45D: "68. Record"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches
  • Similar words include: lumber, logarithm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOG

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46D: "69. Bill's partner"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a pigeon
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COO

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47D: "70. Back at sea"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (nautical, aeronautical) situated at or toward the stern or tail
  • Similar words include: abaft, astern
  • Opposite of: fore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFT

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48D: "71. "Ability" that's hard to believe, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that apparent power to perceive things that are not present to the senses
  • Similar words include: clairvoyance, extrasensory perception, E.S.P.
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESP

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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
48 Down Clues
83 Total Clues

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Last updated: June 17, 2026 at 08:40 AM