Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (33 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (31 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Moderate
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. Extremely ambitious projects | 9 |
| 2A | 10. Lifeless | 4 |
| 3A | 14. Bare | 9 |
| 4A | 15. Like the Asian elephant vis-Ã -vis the African elephant | 5 |
| 5A | 17. Handle in a theater | 9 |
| 6A | 18. Women's Basketball Hall-of-Famer ___ Beard | 5 |
| 7A | 19. Rests (on) | 6 |
| 8A | 20. Harshest punishment a website can give | 8 |
| 9A | 22. Hypnotized | 5 |
| 10A | 23. "Don't look!" | 9 |
| 11A | 24. Walk like a rhino | 4 |
| 12A | 25. Follower of box or bumper | 3 |
| 13A | 26. Drops while running, say | 5 |
| 14A | 27. ___ Marzano tomato | 3 |
| 15A | 28. "Alice in Zombieland" author ___ Showalter | 4 |
| 16A | 29. Giraffes lack them (they have ossicones) | 5 |
| 17A | 30. Summer camp competitions for which teammates dress similarly | 9 |
| 18A | 32. Soft rock | 5 |
| 19A | 34. Minty candy brand | 4 |
| 20A | 35. One wrapping up a meal before eating anything? | 3 |
| 21A | 38. When tripled, a response from Hamlet to Polonius | 5 |
| 22A | 39. Winning X or O | 3 |
| 23A | 40. Common parade sight | 4 |
| 24A | 41. It's here today, but might be gone tomorrow | 9 |
| 25A | 43. Rounded up? | 5 |
| 26A | 44. "Me first ..." | 8 |
| 27A | 45. Establishment that might have a "buck-a-shuck" promotion | 6 |
| 28A | 46. Actress Donovan of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" | 5 |
| 29A | 47. Sign on a convenience store window | 9 |
| 30A | 49. Rotisserie-roasted Turkish dish | 5 |
| 31A | 50. Flip | 9 |
| 32A | 51. Joins a union? | 4 |
| 33A | 52. "Moving on ..." | 9 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Extremely ambitious projects"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOONSHOTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "10. Lifeless"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a level tract of land
- Similar words include: mat, apartment, matte
- Opposite of: natural, indirectly
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FLAT
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3A: "14. Bare"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AUNATUREL
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4A: "15. Like the Asian elephant vis-Ã -vis the African elephant"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
- Similar words include: uncommon, rarefied, rarified
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RARER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5A: "17. Handle in a theater"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAGENAME
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6A: "18. Women's Basketball Hall-of-Famer ___ Beard"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALANA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7A: "19. Rests (on)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a joint that holds two parts together so that one can swing relative to the other
- Similar words include: hinge, flexible joint
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HINGES
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8A: "20. Harshest punishment a website can give"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PERMABAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9A: "22. Hypnotized"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that located below or beneath something else
- Similar words include: below, nether
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNDER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10A: "23. "Don't look!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NOPEEKING
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11A: "24. Walk like a rhino"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the act of walking with a slow heavy gait
- Similar words include: slog, pad, trudge
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLOD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12A: "25. Follower of box or bumper"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
- Similar words include: machine, railroad car, elevator car
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "26. Drops while running, say"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that salty fluid secreted by sweat glands
- Similar words include: effort, stew, sudate
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWEAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "27. ___ Marzano tomato"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "28. "Alice in Zombieland" author ___ Showalter"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENA
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16A: "29. Giraffes lack them (they have ossicones)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it
- Similar words include: saddle horn, trump, cornet
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HORNS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17A: "30. Summer camp competitions for which teammates dress similarly"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COLORWARS
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18A: "32. Soft rock"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a sedimentary rock formed by the deposition of successive layers of clay
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHALE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19A: "34. Minty candy brand"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the english royal house (a branch of the plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
- Similar words include: House of York
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YORK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "35. One wrapping up a meal before eating anything?"
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!
21A: "38. When tripled, a response from Hamlet to Polonius"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the words that are spoken
- Similar words include: Holy Scripture, Book, run-in
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WORDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "39. Winning X or O"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that one of the digits of the foot
- Similar words include: toenail
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23A: "40. Common parade sight"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an unofficial association of people or groups
- Similar words include: dance orchestra, stripe, set
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAND
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "41. It's here today, but might be gone tomorrow"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LATESTFAD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "43. Rounded up?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that having a hemispherical vault or dome
- Similar words include: vaulted
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOMED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "44. "Me first ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILLSTART
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "45. Establishment that might have a "buck-a-shuck" promotion"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RAWBAR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28A: "46. Actress Donovan of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch""
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an assay that relies on an enzymatic conversion reaction and is used to detect the presence of specific substances (such as enzymes or viruses or antibodies or bacteria)
- Similar words include: enzyme-linked-immunosorbent serologic assay
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ELISA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "47. Sign on a convenience store window"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATMINSIDE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "49. Rotisserie-roasted Turkish dish"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that having finished or arrived at completion
- Similar words include: through with, through, done
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DONER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31A: "50. Flip"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOBANANAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32A: "51. Joins a union?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the fourth day of the week; the third working day
- Similar words include: Midweek, hook up with, marry
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WEDS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33A: "52. "Moving on ...""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOANYWAYS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Composite numbers? | 7 |
| 2D | 2. 1994 compilation album for the Red Hot Chili Peppers | 7 |
| 3D | 3. How an annoying conversation might go | 7 |
| 4D | 4. Rode, in a way | 6 |
| 5D | 5. Be in a decision-making position | 5 |
| 6D | 6. "Mulan" antagonists | 4 |
| 7D | 7. "How We Do (Party)" singer Rita | 3 |
| 8D | 8. Disappearing ink? | 15 |
| 9D | 9. Be out | 5 |
| 10D | 10. Supporting structure | 9 |
| 11D | 11. Three-peating N.B.A. champs from 2000 to '02 | 8 |
| 12D | 12. Preceder of Sea or horse | 7 |
| 13D | 13. Residents without a title | 7 |
| 14D | 16. Buzzed | 4 |
| 15D | 21. Pass along, online | 7 |
| 16D | 23. iPod model | 4 |
| 17D | 25. Heavenly-sounding instrument also known as a bell-piano | 7 |
| 18D | 28. Symbols of success | 9 |
| 19D | 30. Touched lovingly | 8 |
| 20D | 31. Traditional gift for a fifth anniversary | 4 |
| 21D | 32. Put up with | 7 |
| 22D | 33. Call it! | 7 |
| 23D | 35. Little girl, in Italian | 7 |
| 24D | 36. Brand whose name doubles as instructions for its product | 7 |
| 25D | 37. Formal speech | 7 |
| 26D | 40. Cutting tool with an arch | 6 |
| 27D | 41. Told a tale | 4 |
| 28D | 42. Hand grenades, informally | 5 |
| 29D | 43. "Full House" father | 5 |
| 30D | 45. Film director Johnson | 4 |
| 31D | 48. Credential for many a C.E.O. | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Composite numbers?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MASHUPS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. 1994 compilation album for the Red Hot Chili Peppers"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OUTINLA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. How an annoying conversation might go"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONANDON
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Rode, in a way"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that bother persistently with trivial complaints
- Similar words include: nag, peck, hen-peck
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NAGGED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Be in a decision-making position"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an indication of potential opportunity
- Similar words include: manoeuvre, wind, lead
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STEER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. "Mulan" antagonists"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of a nomadic people who invaded europe in the 4th century
- Similar words include: Hun, Krauthead, Jerry
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUNS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. "How We Do (Party)" singer Rita"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a mouth or mouthlike opening
- Similar words include: osmium, oculus sinister, atomic number 76
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. Disappearing ink?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEMPORARYTATTOO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Be out"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
- Similar words include: eternal rest, slumber, quietus
- Opposite of: wake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Supporting structure"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a hypothetical description of a complex entity or process
- Similar words include: fabric, theoretical account, model
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRAMEWORK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. Three-peating N.B.A. champs from 2000 to '02"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LALAKERS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Preceder of Sea or horse"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a member of a semitic people originally from the arabian peninsula and surrounding territories who speaks arabic and who inhabits much of the middle east and northern africa
- Similar words include: Arab
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARABIAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Residents without a title"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who pays rent to use land or a building or a car that is owned by someone else
- Similar words include: tenant, renter
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TENANTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "16. Buzzed"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that sound loudly and sonorously
- Similar words include: resound, surround, telephone
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RANG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "21. Pass along, online"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RESHARE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "23. iPod model"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NANO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "25. Heavenly-sounding instrument also known as a bell-piano"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a musical instrument consisting of graduated steel plates that are struck by hammers activated by a keyboard
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CELESTA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "28. Symbols of success"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOLDSTARS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "30. Touched lovingly"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
- Similar words include: caress, fondle
- Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARESSED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "31. Traditional gift for a fifth anniversary"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the hard fibrous lignified substance under the bark of trees
- Similar words include: Sir Henry Joseph Wood, forest, woodwind
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WOOD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "32. Put up with"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a small amount of liquid food
- Similar words include: live with, get down, unsay
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWALLOW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "33. Call it!"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOTLINE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "35. Little girl, in Italian"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BAMBINA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "36. Brand whose name doubles as instructions for its product"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONEADAY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "37. Formal speech"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (computer science) the code that identifies where a piece of information is stored
- Similar words include: destination, reference, treat
- Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDRESS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "40. Cutting tool with an arch"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BOWSAW
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "41. Told a tale"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a german art song of the 19th century for voice and piano
- Similar words include: rest, lie in, consist
- Opposite of: arise, stand
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LIED
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "42. Hand grenades, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FRAGS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "43. "Full House" father"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DANNY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "45. Film director Johnson"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIAN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "48. Credential for many a C.E.O."
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a master's degree in business
- Similar words include: Master in Business Administration, Master in Business
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MBA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Expert Solving Strategies
Start Smart
Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.
Decode the Clues
Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.
Use Cross-References
Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.
Build Vocabulary
Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.
Today's Puzzle Stats
33 Across Clues
31 Down Clues
64 Total Clues
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