NYT Down Today October 11, 2025: Complete Vertical Clues Walkthrough
Quick Summary: Today's NYT Crossword has 38 Down clues. We have all the vertical answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!
Related Puzzles: July 13 2022 NYT Clues Solutions | July 22 2019 NYT Clues Solutions | March 07 2024 NYT Clues Solutions |
About Today's Down Clues
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | October 11, 2025 |
| Day of Week | Saturday |
| Total Down Clues | 38 clues |
| Direction | Vertical (Top to Bottom) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
All Down Clues - Complete List
Here are all 38 Down clues for today's puzzle. These go vertically from top to bottom.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 1. Ticks off |
| 2 Down | 2. Taxing times |
| 3 Down | 3. Targeted, as a target |
| 4 Down | 4. East Egg resident in "The Great Gatsby" |
| 5 Down | 5. Buffalo-to-Rochester dir. |
| 6 Down | 6. They see things for what they are |
| 7 Down | 7. Seafood staple of New England |
| 8 Down | 8. Engineer who supposedly found inspiration while tending to a boiling kettle |
| 9 Down | 9. Shorthand for a stance |
| 10 Down | 10. Top choice? |
| 11 Down | 11. Birthplace, as of civilization |
| 12 Down | 12. Big hoppers |
| 13 Down | 13. "Wax" collectible, informally |
| 14 Down | 14. Count out for breakfast? |
| 15 Down | 15. Nutritionist's offering |
| 16 Down | 23. Lollapalooza, for instance |
| 17 Down | 25. Job done on one's hands and feet? |
| 18 Down | 26. Like typical frat boys, informally |
| 19 Down | 27. Johann ___, philosopher who influenced Hegel |
| 20 Down | 28. Words on either side of "for" |
| 21 Down | 30. "Everyone has ___. What's rare is the courage to follow [it] to the dark places where it leads": Erica Jong |
| 22 Down | 33. Move, as a plant |
| 23 Down | 34. Forensic unit's discovery |
| 24 Down | 35. String or integer, in computer science |
| 25 Down | 36. Spot to order a witbier or hefeweizen |
| 26 Down | 37. Very hot and dry |
| 27 Down | 38. What the singer Prince Rogers Nelson famously went by |
| 28 Down | 41. With fewer than 11,000 people, the world's second-least-populous country, after Vatican City |
| 29 Down | 43. Chooses traffic over train, perhaps |
| 30 Down | 44. Lt. ___ Slothrop, main character in Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow" |
| 31 Down | 46. Some spring nursery purchases |
| 32 Down | 47. Sarcastic "That's just great" |
| 33 Down | 48. Dominatrix's practice, for short |
| 34 Down | 50. TV sister of Sansa Stark |
| 35 Down | 54. ___ rule |
| 36 Down | 55. Reaction to something sweet, maybe |
| 37 Down | 56. React to something moving, maybe |
| 38 Down | 57. Formula 1 divisions: Abbr. |
Detailed Hints and Answers for All Down Clues
Need help? Here are comprehensive hints and answers for each Down clue. Also check these helpful guides:
- February 09 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
- September 06 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- March 24 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- April 23 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
Complete Down Solutions:
1 Down: "1. Ticks off"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: M___S
- Similar words: huff, miff
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a state of irritation or annoyance
- This is Down clue number 1
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MIFFS
2 Down: "2. Taxing times"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A____S
- Similar words: April, Apr
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the month following March and preceding May
- This is Down clue number 2
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
APRILS
3 Down: "3. Targeted, as a target"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: S____T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 3
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SHOTAT
4 Down: "4. East Egg resident in "The Great Gatsby""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'M'
- Similar words: tomcat, turkey cock
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 4
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TOM
5 Down: "5. Buffalo-to-Rochester dir."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'E'
- Similar words: east northeast
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the compass point midway between northeast and east
- This is Down clue number 5
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ENE
6 Down: "6. They see things for what they are"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: R______S
- Similar words: realist
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 6
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
REALISTS
7 Down: "7. Seafood staple of New England"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: S___D
- Similar words: schrod
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 7
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SCROD
8 Down: "8. Engineer who supposedly found inspiration while tending to a boiling kettle"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'W' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: W__T
- Similar words: W, James Watt
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 8
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
WATT
9 Down: "9. Shorthand for a stance"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'O'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 9
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
IMO
10 Down: "10. Top choice?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
- Similar words: golf tee, teeing ground
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the starting place for each hole on a golf course
- This is Down clue number 10
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TEE
11 Down: "11. Birthplace, as of civilization"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: C____E
- Similar words: rocker, provenance
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a baby bed with sides and rockers
- This is Down clue number 11
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CRADLE
12 Down: "12. Big hoppers"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'H' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: H___S
- Similar words: rabbit, hare
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 12
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
HARES
13 Down: "13. "Wax" collectible, informally"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: L______D
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 13
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
LPRECORD
14 Down: "14. Count out for breakfast?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: C_____A
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 14
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CHOCULA
15 Down: "15. Nutritionist's offering"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'P'
- Word pattern: D_____P
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 15
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DIETTIP
16 Down: "23. Lollapalooza, for instance"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'F' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: F______L
- Similar words: fete
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 16
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
FESTIVAL
17 Down: "25. Job done on one's hands and feet?"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: M______I
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 17
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MANIPEDI
18 Down: "26. Like typical frat boys, informally"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: B___Y
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 18
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BROEY
19 Down: "27. Johann ___, philosopher who influenced Hegel"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'F' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: F____E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 19
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
FICHTE
20 Down: "28. Words on either side of "for""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: A___E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 20
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ANEYE
21 Down: "30. "Everyone has ___. What's rare is the courage to follow [it] to the dark places where it leads": Erica Jong"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: T____T
- Similar words: gift, endowment
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: natural abilities or qualities
- This is Down clue number 21
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TALENT
22 Down: "33. Move, as a plant"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: R___T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: put in a new
- This is Down clue number 22
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
REPOT
23 Down: "34. Forensic unit's discovery"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: P___T
- Similar words: publish, mark
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: the text appearing in a book
- This is Down clue number 23
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
PRINT
24 Down: "35. String or integer, in computer science"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: D______E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 24
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
DATATYPE
25 Down: "36. Spot to order a witbier or hefeweizen"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 8 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: B______S
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 25
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BRAUHAUS
26 Down: "37. Very hot and dry"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: S_____N
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a Nilo-Saharan language spoken in parts of Chad
- This is Down clue number 26
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SAHARAN
27 Down: "38. What the singer Prince Rogers Nelson famously went by"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 7 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: O_____E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 27
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ONENAME
28 Down: "41. With fewer than 11,000 people, the world's second-least-populous country, after Vatican City"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'U'
- Word pattern: T____U
- Similar words: Ellice Islands
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 28
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TUVALU
29 Down: "43. Chooses traffic over train, perhaps"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: C____T
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 29
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CABSIT
30 Down: "44. Lt. ___ Slothrop, main character in Pynchon's "Gravity's Rainbow""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 6 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: T____E
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 30
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
TYRONE
31 Down: "46. Some spring nursery purchases"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: B___S
- Similar words: medulla, electric light
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 31
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
BULBS
32 Down: "47. Sarcastic "That's just great""
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: O___Y
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 32
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
OHJOY
33 Down: "48. Dominatrix's practice, for short"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 5 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: S___M
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 33
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
SANDM
34 Down: "50. TV sister of Sansa Stark"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 4 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: A__A
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 34
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
ARYA
35 Down: "54. ___ rule"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'B'
- Similar words: pile, rout
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a disorderly crowd of people
- This is Down clue number 35
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
MOB
36 Down: "55. Reaction to something sweet, maybe"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'W'
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 36
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
AWW
37 Down: "56. React to something moving, maybe"
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'Y'
- Similar words: vociferation, squall
- Opposite of: laugh
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- Definition: a loud utterance; often in protest or opposition
- This is Down clue number 37
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
CRY
38 Down: "57. Formula 1 divisions: Abbr."
Helpful hints for this Down clue:
- This word has 3 letters going top to bottom
- It starts with 'K' and ends with 'S'
- Similar words: km, kilometre
- This is an abbreviation or acronym
- This is Down clue number 38
Answer: Click to reveal the Down answer
KMS
Expert Strategies for Solving Down Clues
Master the vertical clues with these professional tips:
Why Start with Down Clues?
- Down clues often reveal key letters for intersecting words
- Vertical patterns can unlock difficult sections
- Many prefixes and suffixes run vertically
- Down answers often help solve Across clues
Down Clue Patterns to Recognize
- Fill-in-the-blank clues: These are usually the easiest Down entries
- Prefixes and suffixes: Common word parts often run vertically
- Abbreviations: Look for clues with "Abbr." or shortened forms
- Plural indicators: Words ending in 'S' are common in Down
- Pop culture references: Names and titles often appear vertically
Time-Saving Down Techniques
| Technique | How It Helps |
|---|---|
| Scan all Down first | Get a mental map of the vertical flow |
| Fill short Down words | 3-4 letter words are often prefixes or connectors |
| Use crossing letters | Across letters help confirm Down answers |
| Look for themes | Related Down answers often share a theme |
Frequently Asked Questions About Down Clues
What are Down clues in crossword puzzles?
Down clues are the vertical entries in a crossword puzzle that read from top to bottom. They're numbered and correspond to specific columns in the grid.
Should I solve Down or Across clues first?
Many solvers alternate between Down and Across clues to build momentum. Down clues can help unlock difficult sections by providing key intersecting letters. The best approach is to solve the clues you find easiest first, regardless of direction.
How many Down clues are in today's puzzle?
Today's NYT crossword has 38 Down clues.
Are Down clues easier than Across clues?
Neither direction is inherently easier. The difficulty depends on the specific clues and your knowledge. However, Down clues often contain helpful prefixes, suffixes, and word parts that can be easier to guess.
How do Down clues interact with Across clues?
Down and Across clues intersect at various points in the grid. Solving one can provide letters that help solve the other, making the puzzle easier as you progress.
