Search Clues

Showing posts sorted by date for query TABS. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query TABS. Sort by relevance Show all posts

Monday, October 5, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers October 05, 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. Write on stone, maybe 4
2A 5. Request at the bottom of an invitation 4
3A 9. Follower of Jah, informally 5
4A 14. "Me neither" 4
5A 15. Great Plains tribe 4
6A 16. Set of moral principles 5
7A 17. Famous ___ cookies 4
8A 18. Downfall in pinball 4
9A 19. Course for future therapists, for short 5
10A 20. Spot to work out knotted muscles 12
11A 23. U.F.O. occupants, in brief 3
12A 24. Yank 3
13A 25. Reach quickly, as a conclusion 6
14A 29. Internet meme feline 6
15A 31. "___ your mouth!" 4
16A 33. Stadium cheer 3
17A 34. Holiday at the end of Ramadan, informally 3
18A 35. Memphis barbecue staple 9
19A 37. Military rank above cpl. 3
20A 38. Tusked animals 5
21A 39. Squiggle shape 3
22A 40. Key to Aladdin's success 9
23A 42. ___ Paulo, Brazil 3
24A 43. Before, poetically 3
25A 44. Acorn growers 4
26A 45. Dress seen at Oktoberfest 6
27A 48. Black ___ (some spiders) 6
28A 50. Mental cloud 3
29A 51. Drag performer's accessory 3
30A 52. "Ah, that's where things get difficult" ... or what can be said about 20-, 35- and 40-Across? 12
31A 56. Singer Baker 5
32A 59. When Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" in "Les Misérables" 4
33A 60. Block toy with its own chain of theme parks 4
34A 61. Bathroom door sign 5
35A 62. Occasion for a teen to rent a tux 4
36A 63. Spot for a wolf pack 4
37A 64. Weapon in a scabbard 5
38A 65. Manager of an apt. bldg. 4
39A 66. Squeaks (by) 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Write on stone, maybe"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make an etching of
  • Similar words include: engrave
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETCH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Request at the bottom of an invitation"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Follower of Jah, informally"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that follower of rastafarianism
  • Similar words include: Rastafarian
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RASTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "Me neither""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Great Plains tribe"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people inhabiting the valleys of the platte and missouri rivers in nebraska
  • Similar words include: Oto
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTOE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Set of moral principles"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the principles of right and wrong that are accepted by an individual or a social group
  • Similar words include: value orientation, ethical code, moral principle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Famous ___ cookies"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

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!

8A: "18. Downfall in pinball"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a combat between two mounted knights tilting against each other with blunted lances
  • Similar words include: angle, disceptation, leaning
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TILT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "19. Course for future therapists, for short"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "20. Spot to work out knotted muscles"

12 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASSAGETABLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. U.F.O. occupants, in brief"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Yank"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden abrupt pull
  • Similar words include: tugboat, labour, tower
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Reach quickly, as a conclusion"

6 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Internet meme feline"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "31. "___ your mouth!""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
  • Similar words include: shut out, keep out, closed
  • Opposite of: admit, open
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "33. Stadium cheer"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "34. Holiday at the end of Ramadan, informally"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "35. Memphis barbecue staple"

9 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that baked or roasted with a spicy sauce
  • Similar words include: sparerib, barbecued spareribs
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPARERIBS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "37. Military rank above cpl."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Tusked animals"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that old world wild swine having a narrow body and prominent tusks from which most domestic swine come; introduced in united states
  • Similar words include: boar, Sus scrofa, wild boar
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. Squiggle shape"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a radioactive transuranic element produced by bombarding plutonium with neutrons
  • Similar words include: atomic number 99, Es, E
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ESS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "40. Key to Aladdin's success"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. ___ Paulo, Brazil"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "43. Before, poetically"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "44. Acorn growers"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
  • Similar words include: oak, oak tree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "45. Dress seen at Oktoberfest"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a full skirt with a gathered waistband
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIRNDL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "48. Black ___ (some spiders)"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
  • Similar words include: widow woman, widow
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WIDOWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "50. Mental cloud"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
  • Similar words include: murkiness, obnubilate, obscure
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "51. Drag performer's accessory"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long thin fluffy scarf of feathers or fur
  • Similar words include: feather boa
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "52. "Ah, that's where things get difficult" ... or what can be said about 20-, 35- and 40-Across?"

12 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: ____________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THERESTHERUB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "56. Singer Baker"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "59. When Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" in "Les Misérables""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "60. Block toy with its own chain of theme parks"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (trademark) a child's plastic construction set for making mechanical models
  • Similar words include: Lego set
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "61. Bathroom door sign"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
  • Similar words include: womanhood, charwoman, fair sex
  • Opposite of: man
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WOMEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "62. Occasion for a teen to rent a tux"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a formal ball held for a school class toward the end of the academic year
  • Similar words include: promenade
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "63. Spot for a wolf pack"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the habitation of wild animals
  • Similar words include: den
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAIR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "64. Weapon in a scabbard"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
  • Similar words include: blade, brand, steel
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWORD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "65. Manager of an apt. bldg."

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "66. Squeaks (by)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Tooth covering 6
2D 2. Fruit, botanically, that's treated as a vegetable 6
3D 3. One way to sit while meditating 11
4D 4. Snake's warning 4
5D 5. Cheap hooch 6
6D 6. ___ Larsson, author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" 5
7D 7. Bygone electric Chevy 4
8D 8. Org. that advocates for "cruelty-free" products 4
9D 9. Filled to the gills 7
10D 10. Completely lost 5
11D 11. Not likely to make the first move, say 3
12D 12. Unconscious mannerism 3
13D 13. German outburst 3
14D 21. Slightly 4
15D 22. Things you might see when you're not wearing glasses 5
16D 26. Escape from jail 11
17D 27. Clickables at the top of a computer screen 4
18D 28. Exclamations of surprise 3
19D 30. Commercial lead-in to card 4
20D 31. Inundates with junk mail 5
21D 32. Musical instrument in the Guinness logo 4
22D 35. Luxuriate in a bathtub 4
23D 36. "___ Window" 4
24D 37. South Asian dress 4
25D 38. Nonchalant 5
26D 40. Kitten's call 3
27D 41. Ranch worker 7
28D 42. [Oh, well] 4
29D 45. Serve a jail sentence 6
30D 46. Dance craze of the 2010s 6
31D 47. Hercules had 12 of these 6
32D 49. Playful aquatic animal 5
33D 50. Camera lens setting 5
34D 53. Emulates Big Boi and Lil' Kim 4
35D 54. Light beige 4
36D 55. Woods of "Legally Blonde" 4
37D 56. Reactions to something adorable 3
38D 57. "Immediately!" 3
39D 58. "If you ask me ...," to a texter 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Tooth covering"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hard white substance covering the crown of a tooth
  • Similar words include: tooth enamel
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENAMEL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Fruit, botanically, that's treated as a vegetable"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that mildly acid red or yellow pulpy fruit eaten as a vegetable
  • Similar words include: Lycopersicon esculentum, tomato plant, love apple
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMATO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. One way to sit while meditating"

11 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Snake's warning"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fricative sound (especially as an expression of disapproval)
  • Similar words include: razz, fizzle, hushing
  • Opposite of: applaud
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HISS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Cheap hooch"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any alcoholic beverage of inferior quality
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROTGUT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. ___ Larsson, author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo""

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Bygone electric Chevy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of potential equal to the potential difference between two points on a conductor carrying a current of 1 ampere when the power dissipated between the two points is 1 watt; equivalent to the potential difference across a resistance of 1 ohm when 1 ampere of current flows through it
  • Similar words include: V
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VOLT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Org. that advocates for "cruelty-free" products"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Filled to the gills"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fill to satisfaction
  • Similar words include: sate, full, instinct
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REPLETE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Completely lost"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Not likely to make the first move, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quick throw
  • Similar words include: diffident, timid, unsure
  • Opposite of: confident
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Unconscious mannerism"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a local and habitual twitching especially in the face
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. German outburst"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "21. Slightly"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Things you might see when you're not wearing glasses"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hazy or indistinct representation
  • Similar words include: slur, blur, obnubilate
  • Opposite of: focus
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLURS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "26. Escape from jail"

11 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an escape from jail
  • Similar words include: breakout, jailbreak, gaolbreak
  • Pattern: ___________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRISONBREAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "27. Clickables at the top of a computer screen"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bill in a restaurant
  • Similar words include: tabloid, chit, tablet
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TABS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "28. Exclamations of surprise"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a midwestern state in north central united states in the great lakes region
  • Similar words include: Ohio, OH, Buckeye State
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OHS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "30. Commercial lead-in to card"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "31. Inundates with junk mail"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canned meat made largely from pork
  • Similar words include: Spam, spam, junk e-mail
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Musical instrument in the Guinness logo"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers
  • Similar words include: mouth organ, mouth harp, dwell
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "35. Luxuriate in a bathtub"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the process of becoming softened and saturated as a consequence of being immersed in water (or other liquid)
  • Similar words include: surcharge, sop, dowse
  • Opposite of: undercharge
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. "___ Window""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the back of a military formation or procession
  • Similar words include: tooshie, tail end, hind end
  • Opposite of: front, head
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. South Asian dress"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a dress worn primarily by hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
  • Similar words include: saree
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Nonchalant"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that very sophisticated especially because of surfeit; versed in the ways of the world
  • Similar words include: bored, worldly
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "40. Kitten's call"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the sound made by a cat (or any sound resembling this)
  • Similar words include: sea mew, miaou, meow
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Ranch worker"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hired hand who tends cattle and performs other duties on horseback
  • Similar words include: cowherd, puncher, cowpuncher
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COWHAND

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. [Oh, well]"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an utterance made by exhaling audibly
  • Similar words include: suspire, suspiration
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIGH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Serve a jail sentence"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Dance craze of the 2010s"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Hercules had 12 of these"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
  • Similar words include: Labour, task, labor movement
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LABORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Playful aquatic animal"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the fur of an otter
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTTER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "50. Camera lens setting"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "53. Emulates Big Boi and Lil' Kim"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a reproach for some lapse or misdeed
  • Similar words include: knap, pink, knock
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "54. Light beige"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very light brown
  • Similar words include: beige
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECRU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "55. Woods of "Legally Blonde""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "56. Reactions to something adorable"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "57. "Immediately!""

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the momentary present
  • Similar words include: straightaway, straight off, nowadays
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "58. "If you ask me ...," to a texter"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the united nations agency concerned with international maritime activities
  • Similar words include: International Maritime Organization
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IMO

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

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: October 05, 2026 at 10:40 AM

Thursday, June 11, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 11, 2026 | Expert Breakdown & Tips

Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.

Quick Navigation - Table of Contents

Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Tricky

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. Word before baked or naked 4
2A 5. Pinnacles 5
3A 10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles 4
4A 14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation 4
5A 15. Not secured 5
6A 16. Arm part 4
7A 17. It might have many sides 4
8A 18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman? 10
9A 20. Like photons, but not protons 8
10A 22. Passes out 6
11A 23. Sarcastic laugh syllable 3
12A 24. Yea or nay 4
13A 25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman? 11
14A 30. Flu-fighting org. 3
15A 33. Met someone? 9
16A 34. "Begone!" 4
17A 35. Milky Way explosion 4
18A 36. Live 5
19A 38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief 4
20A 39. Had the answer 4
21A 40. Your mind's eye? 9
22A 42. "To be," in Iberia 3
23A 43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman? 11
24A 45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites 4
25A 46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series) 3
26A 47. Chicken 6
27A 50. Something you might keep tabs on? 8
28A 55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman? 10
29A 57. Lack of friction 4
30A 58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one) 4
31A 59. Farm measures 5
32A 60. Genetic communicator, for short 4
33A 61. Lyrical works 4
34A 62. Bare amount 5
35A 63. Gym units 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Word before baked or naked"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that one of two equal parts of a divisible whole
  • Similar words include: one-half
  • Opposite of: whole
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Pinnacles"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development
  • Similar words include: tiptop, summit, vertex
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "10. Thousand ___, city that's part of Greater Los Angeles"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the hard durable wood of any oak; used especially for furniture and flooring
  • Similar words include: oak tree, oak
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OAKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. ___ Sea, body of water that lost 90% of its volume to irrigation"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Not secured"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
  • Similar words include: release, wanton, promiscuous
  • Opposite of: confine, stiffen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Arm part"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the inner and longer of the two bones of the human forearm
  • Similar words include: elbow bone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ULNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. It might have many sides"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a list of dishes available at a restaurant
  • Similar words include: computer menu, bill of fare, carte du jour
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MENU

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "18. "Yes, sir!," to an ancient Roman?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Like photons, but not protons"

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Passes out"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a spontaneous loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood to the brain
  • Similar words include: swoon, syncope, deliquium
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAINTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Sarcastic laugh syllable"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Yea or nay"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a choice that is made by counting the number of people in favor of each alternative
  • Similar words include: suffrage, voting, right to vote
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VOTE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Sailor's bearings, to an ancient Roman?"

11 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "30. Flu-fighting org."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a federal agency in the department of health and human services; located in atlanta; investigates and diagnoses and tries to control or prevent diseases (especially new and unusual diseases)
  • Similar words include: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CDC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "33. Met someone?"

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a patron of the opera
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPERAGOER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "34. "Begone!""

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that drive away by crying `shoo!'
  • Similar words include: shoo away, shoo off
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "35. Milky Way explosion"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a star that ejects some of its material in the form of a cloud and become more luminous in the process
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOVA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "36. Live"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "38. Many a commencement speaker, in brief"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a white crystalline double sulfate of aluminum: the ammonium double sulfate of aluminum
  • Similar words include: grad, ammonium alum, potassium alum
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALUM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "39. Had the answer"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
  • Similar words include: be intimate, hump, cognise
  • Opposite of: ignore
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNEW

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Your mind's eye?"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. "To be," in Iberia"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "43. Certain Microsoft Office files, to an ancient Roman?"

11 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "45. Destination for 2025's ESCAPADE satellites"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
  • Similar words include: defect, deflower, mutilate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. "Cobra ___" (Netflix series)"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Chicken"

6 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that filled with fear or apprehension
  • Opposite of: unafraid
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRAID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Something you might keep tabs on?"

8 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "55. Prestigious group of schools, to an ancient Roman?"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "57. Lack of friction"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that freedom from difficulty or hardship or effort
  • Similar words include: facilitate, still, comfort
  • Opposite of: difficulty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EASE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "58. A wine (with an accent), or a flower (without one)"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of many shrubs of the genus rosa that bear roses
  • Similar words include: rosiness, resurrect, rebel
  • Opposite of: wane, turn in
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "59. Farm measures"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
  • Similar words include: land, estate, Akka
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACRES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "60. Genetic communicator, for short"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the template for protein synthesis; the form of rna that carries information from dna in the nucleus to the ribosome sites of protein synthesis in the cell
  • Similar words include: informational RNA, messenger RNA, template RNA
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MRNA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "61. Lyrical works"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Similar words include: ode
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Bare amount"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something that is of no importance
  • Similar words include: to the lowest degree
  • Opposite of: most
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Gym units"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a group of things of the same kind that belong together and are so used
  • Similar words include: circle, solidification, coiffure
  • Opposite of: rise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick" 4
2D 2. Integral calculation 4
3D 3. Setups for some routers, in brief 4
4D 4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit 9
5D 5. Clark Kent has one 8
6D 6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down 4
7D 7. Sounds produced by 6-Down 4
8D 8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops 3
9D 9. Ocean mist 6
10D 10. Convex physical feature 5
11D 11. EGOT-winning composer Menken 4
12D 12. Furrow, as one's brow 4
13D 13. Without 4
14D 19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans 4
15D 21. TV journalist Spencer 4
16D 24. Truth 6
17D 25. Traffic jam cacophony 5
18D 26. Barely winning, say 5
19D 27. Word on either side of "say" 5
20D 28. People one might meet at a drive 6
21D 29. Bounded 5
22D 30. Olympic snowboarder Kim 5
23D 31. Reservations 5
24D 32. Shows up 5
25D 34. Bargain hunter's targets 9
26D 37. Most perilous 8
27D 41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria 4
28D 43. Fall short 4
29D 44. Test of will 6
30D 45. Stable females 5
31D 47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross 4
32D 48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw 4
33D 49. Villainous ploy 4
34D 50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum 4
35D 51. Prompts 4
36D 52. Like blue lobsters 4
37D 53. "That ___ funny" 4
38D 54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips 4
39D 56. Esteemed fighter pilot 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Jon of "Top Gun: Maverick""

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Integral calculation"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular geographical region of indefinite boundary (usually serving some special purpose or distinguished by its people or culture or geography)
  • Similar words include: expanse, surface area, domain
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Setups for some routers, in brief"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a local computer network for communication between computers; especially a network connecting computers and word processors and other electronic office equipment to create a communication system between offices
  • Similar words include: LAN, local area network
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LANS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Poker holding of four cards of the same suit"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Clark Kent has one"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Barnyard producers of 7-Down"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age; ; ; - bible
  • Similar words include: cow, oxen, cattle
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COWS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Sounds produced by 6-Down"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

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!

8D: "8. Key next to a Touch Bar on some Mac laptops"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ocean mist"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Convex physical feature"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. EGOT-winning composer Menken"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Furrow, as one's brow"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a fabric made by knitting
  • Similar words include: pucker, cockle, entwine
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNIT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Without"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "19. Gillette Stadium team in the N.F.L., to fans"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. TV journalist Spencer"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. Truth"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that conformity to reality or actuality
  • Similar words include: trueness, the true, truth
  • Opposite of: falsity
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VERITY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Traffic jam cacophony"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cry of a goose (or any sound resembling this)
  • Similar words include: regurgitate, blare, barf
  • Opposite of: keep down
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HONKS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Barely winning, say"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Word on either side of "say""

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not ever; at no time in the past or future
  • Similar words include: ne'er
  • Opposite of: ever
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "28. People one might meet at a drive"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that person who makes a gift of property
  • Similar words include: donor, giver, conferrer
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DONORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "29. Bounded"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that move forward by leaps and bounds
  • Similar words include: jump off, jump, leap
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAPT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "30. Olympic snowboarder Kim"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "31. Reservations"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of being unsure of something
  • Similar words include: incertitude, uncertainty, question
  • Opposite of: certainty
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOUBT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "32. Shows up"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
  • Similar words include: seminal fluid, fall, arrive
  • Opposite of: go, leave
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "34. Bargain hunter's targets"

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "37. Most perilous"

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that involving risk or danger
  • Similar words include: wild, high-risk, hazardous
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RISKIEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "41. Country that forms a tripoint border with Niger and Nigeria"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
  • Similar words include: Chadic language, Lake Chad, Tchad
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CHAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "43. Fall short"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fail to do something; leave something undone
  • Similar words include: flush it, conk out, die
  • Opposite of: manage, pass
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FAIL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "44. Test of will"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a severe or trying experience
  • Similar words include: trial by ordeal
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORDEAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "45. Stable females"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that female equine animal
  • Similar words include: female horse, deflower, mutilate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "47. Hairstyle sported by painter Bob Ross"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rounded thickly curled hairdo
  • Similar words include: Afro hairdo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AFRO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. "There is no love sincerer than the love of ___": George Bernard Shaw"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
  • Similar words include: solid food, food for thought, intellectual nourishment
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FOOD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Villainous ploy"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deceptive maneuver (especially to avoid capture)
  • Similar words include: artifice
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Eastern city with a famous mausoleum"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in northern india; former capital of the mogul empire; site of the taj mahal
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGRA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "51. Prompts"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an actor's line that immediately precedes and serves as a reminder for some action or speech
  • Similar words include: pool cue, cue stick, clew
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CUES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. Like blue lobsters"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
  • Similar words include: rarefied, uncommon, rarified
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "53. "That ___ funny""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. "Mushy" side dish with fish and chips"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that seed of a pea plant used for food
  • Similar words include: pea, pea plant
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PEAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. Esteemed fighter pilot"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the smallest whole number or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: superstar, top-notch, hotshot
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACE

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
39 Down Clues
74 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: June 11, 2026 at 08:20 AM