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Tuesday, September 29, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 29, 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. Big ones can be difficult to manage 4
2A 5. Urge 4
3A 9. British John 5
4A 14. Nincompoop 4
5A 15. Surrounding glow 4
6A 16. Who "wants to be defeated" in "Beat It" 5
7A 17. Where some monster home runs land 9
8A 19. Language of the Vikings 5
9A 20. Rich deposits of ore 5
10A 21. Home of the Buckeyes, for short 3
11A 23. Muslim holiday, informally 3
12A 24. Scoped out with intent to rob 5
13A 25. Pretty long time, in an idiom 9
14A 28. Battery fill 4
15A 29. Capital of Yemen 5
16A 30. Copied 4
17A 31. "You ___!" ("Absolutely!") 3
18A 32. Terse 4
19A 33. "I ___ U" (candy heart message) 3
20A 35. Another plateful from the buffet, say 13
21A 40. Deposit/withdrawal site, in brief 3
22A 41. Board appointee, for short 4
23A 42. Work unit 3
24A 44. Chief god of Valhalla 4
25A 47. European viper 5
26A 49. Greek goddess of the earth 4
27A 50. Position of Rickey Henderson in M.L.B. 9
28A 52. Storage units 5
29A 53. Dad on "Black-ish" 3
30A 54. Pablo Neruda's "___ to My Socks" 3
31A 55. Indie rock singer ___ O 5
32A 56. Couch 5
33A 58. Wedding officiant's directive ... or what both halves of 17-, 25-, 35- and 50-Across do? 9
34A 62. Unconcealed 5
35A 63. Toll unit on some roads 4
36A 64. Tour de France entry 4
37A 65. "Cooties" 5
38A 66. Hitch up on a farm 4
39A 67. Ice cream brand that's a cousin of Dreyer's 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Big ones can be difficult to manage"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others
  • Similar words include: self-importance, egotism, self
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EGOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Urge"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
  • Similar words include: egg on, goading, poke at
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. British John"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. Nincompoop"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that street names for marijuana
  • Similar words include: cola, pot, sens
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DOPE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Surrounding glow"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sensation (as of a cold breeze or bright light) that precedes the onset of certain disorders such as a migraine attack or epileptic seizure
  • Similar words include: glory, halo, gloriole
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AURA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Who "wants to be defeated" in "Beat It""

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "17. Where some monster home runs land"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "19. Language of the Vikings"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an inhabitant of scandinavia
  • Similar words include: Scandinavian language, Norseman, Northman
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NORSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "20. Rich deposits of ore"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a deposit of valuable ore occurring within definite boundaries separating it from surrounding rocks
  • Similar words include: lode, load
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LODES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "21. Home of the Buckeyes, for short"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "23. Muslim holiday, informally"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "24. Scoped out with intent to rob"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that look over, usually with the intention to rob
  • Similar words include: encase, incase, incased
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CASED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "25. Pretty long time, in an idiom"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "28. Battery fill"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various water-soluble compounds having a sour taste and capable of turning litmus red and reacting with a base to form a salt
  • Similar words include: Zen, acidulent, bitter
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACID

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "29. Capital of Yemen"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the capital and largest city of yemen; on the central plateau
  • Similar words include: Sana, Sana'a
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SANAA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "30. Copied"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that imitate uncritically and in every aspect
  • Similar words include: ape, caricature
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: APED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "31. "You ___!" ("Absolutely!")"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the money risked on a gamble
  • Similar words include: stake, wager, count
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BET

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "32. Terse"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that marked by rude or peremptory shortness
  • Similar words include: terse, crisp, brusque
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CURT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "33. "I ___ U" (candy heart message)"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "35. Another plateful from the buffet, say"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "40. Deposit/withdrawal site, in brief"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of pressure: the pressure that will support a column of mercury 760 mm high at sea level and 0 degrees centigrade
  • Similar words include: automatic teller machine, automatic teller, automated teller
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ATM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "41. Board appointee, for short"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the chief executive department of the united states government
  • Similar words include: White House
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EXEC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "42. Work unit"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cgs unit of work or energy; the work done by a force of one dyne acting over a distance of one centimeter
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "44. Chief god of Valhalla"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (norse mythology) ruler of the aesir; supreme god of war and poetry and knowledge and wisdom (for which he gave an eye) and husband of frigg; identified with the teutonic wotan
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "47. European viper"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who adds numbers
  • Similar words include: common viper, Vipera berus
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADDER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Greek goddess of the earth"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (greek mythology) goddess of the earth and mother of cronus and the titans in ancient mythology
  • Similar words include: Ge, Gaia
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Position of Rickey Henderson in M.L.B."

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the piece of ground in the outfield on the catcher's left
  • Similar words include: left, left field
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEFTFIELD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Storage units"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information
  • Similar words include: byte
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BYTES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Dad on "Black-ish""

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "54. Pablo Neruda's "___ to My Socks""

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lyric poem with complex stanza forms
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ODE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "55. Indie rock singer ___ O"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the tibeto-burman language spoken in the thailand and burmese borderlands
  • Similar words include: Karenic
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAREN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "56. Couch"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long backless sofa (usually with pillows against a wall)
  • Similar words include: diwan
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DIVAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "58. Wedding officiant's directive ... or what both halves of 17-, 25-, 35- and 50-Across do?"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "62. Unconcealed"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that open and observable; not secret or hidden
  • Similar words include: open
  • Opposite of: covert
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVERT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "63. Toll unit on some roads"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a shaft on which a wheel rotates
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AXLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "64. Tour de France entry"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cooperative unit (especially in sports)
  • Similar words include: team up, squad
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TEAM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "65. "Cooties""

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that anything that provides inspiration for later work
  • Similar words include: germ, source, seed
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GERMS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38A: "66. Hitch up on a farm"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment
  • Similar words include: coupling, couplet, link
  • Opposite of: unyoke
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YOKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39A: "67. Ice cream brand that's a cousin of Dreyer's"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Address ending that's not .com, .org or .gov 3
2D 2. Reach great heights in life 8
3D 3. Like black and white 8
4D 4. Numbered in a tournament bracket 6
5D 5. Always at the pharmacy? 4
6D 6. Regret 3
7D 7. Middle-earth foe 3
8D 8. ___ Territory, 1861-89 6
9D 9. Ho-hum feeling 5
10D 10. British john 3
11D 11. Ripped to pieces 6
12D 12. Like not-work-from-home days 6
13D 13. Had to have 6
14D 18. Visibly embarrassed, say 3
15D 22. Like subcompacts vis-à-vis compacts 7
16D 24. What can travel a fare distance? 3
17D 25. Brain-busting 4
18D 26. Just between us 7
19D 27. Blue race in "Avatar" 4
20D 29. Raisin brand whose containers feature a girl in a red bonnet 7
21D 32. Hotel request 3
22D 34. Scanned lines, for short 3
23D 36. "If you ___ stand the heat ..." 4
24D 37. Crossed (out) 4
25D 38. Made nice? 8
26D 39. Band with the 6x platinum album "American Idiot" 8
27D 43. Pit stop refill 3
28D 44. Subject of a saying about new tricks 6
29D 45. Infer (from) 6
30D 46. Perhaps not at all 6
31D 48. Spinner of tunes 6
32D 49. Move like Shakira in her "Hips Don't Lie" video 6
33D 51. Courier and Century Gothic, for two 5
34D 52. "Nuts!" 3
35D 55. Achy joint for a floor installer, perhaps 4
36D 57. Pitcher's asset 3
37D 59. Kitchen brand that could be an unsuccessful tic-tac-toe line 3
38D 60. Sort 3
39D 61. Texting format, for short 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Address ending that's not .com, .org or .gov"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Reach great heights in life"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Like black and white"

8 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a word that expresses a meaning opposed to the meaning of another word, in which case the two words are antonyms of each other
  • Similar words include: antonym, inverse, paired
  • Opposite of: synonym, alternate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OPPOSITE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Numbered in a tournament bracket"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that go to seed; shed seeds
  • Similar words include: seed, sow, sown
  • Opposite of: unseeded
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEEDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Always at the pharmacy?"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a number of sheets of paper fastened together along one edge
  • Similar words include: domiciliation, digs, embroider
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PADS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Regret"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that european strong-scented perennial herb with grey-green bitter-tasting leaves; an irritant similar to poison ivy
  • Similar words include: repent, regret, ruefulness
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RUE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Middle-earth foe"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. ___ Territory, 1861-89"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of the siouan people of the northern mississippi valley; commonly called the sioux
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DAKOTA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Ho-hum feeling"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  • Similar words include: boredom, tedium
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENNUI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. British john"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a toilet in britain
  • Similar words include: water closet, W.C., closet
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Ripped to pieces"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Like not-work-from-home days"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Had to have"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that require as useful, just, or proper
  • Similar words include: want, require, necessitate
  • Opposite of: obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEEDED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "18. Visibly embarrassed, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
  • Similar words include: bolshy, violent, red-faced
  • Opposite of: gain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "22. Like subcompacts vis-à-vis compacts"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that small or little relative to something else
  • Similar words include: humble, littler, pocket-sized
  • Opposite of: large, big
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMALLER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "24. What can travel a fare distance?"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
  • Similar words include: cabriolet, taxi, taxicab
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CAB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Brain-busting"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
  • Similar words include: laborious, grueling, tough
  • Opposite of: easy, voiced
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HARD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "26. Just between us"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "27. Blue race in "Avatar""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "29. Raisin brand whose containers feature a girl in a red bonnet"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "32. Hotel request"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "34. Scanned lines, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "36. "If you ___ stand the heat ...""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that stock phrases that have become nonsense through endless repetition
  • Similar words include: bevel, slang, vernacular
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CANT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "37. Crossed (out)"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "38. Made nice?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that put (things or places) in order
  • Similar words include: straighten, square away, neaten
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NEATENED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "39. Band with the 6x platinum album "American Idiot""

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Pit stop refill"

3 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity; relatively great expansion and contraction with changes in pressure and temperature; the ability to diffuse readily; and the spontaneous tendency to become distributed uniformly throughout any container
  • Similar words include: gun, bluster, flatulence
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "44. Subject of a saying about new tricks"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "45. Infer (from)"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that reason by deduction; establish by deduction
  • Similar words include: gain, come, descend
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DERIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "46. Perhaps not at all"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "48. Spinner of tunes"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "49. Move like Shakira in her "Hips Don't Lie" video"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that to wind or move in a spiral course
  • Similar words include: reel, spiral, coil
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GYRATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "51. Courier and Century Gothic, for two"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a specific size and style of type within a type family
  • Similar words include: baptistry, baptismal font, case
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: FONTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "52. "Nuts!""

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "55. Achy joint for a floor installer, perhaps"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
  • Similar words include: human knee, knee joint, articulatio genus
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNEE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "57. Pitcher's asset"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
  • Similar words include: limb, sleeve, fortify
  • Opposite of: disarm
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARM

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "59. Kitchen brand that could be an unsuccessful tic-tac-toe line"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "60. Sort"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a kind of person
  • Similar words include: like
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ILK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "61. Texting format, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a grey lustrous metallic element of the rare earth group; is used in special alloys; occurs in monazite and bastnasite
  • Similar words include: SM, atomic number 62, Master of Science
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SMS

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: September 29, 2026 at 09:59 AM

Friday, September 4, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers September 04, 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. Result of a tense build-up? 10
2A 11. Hit a point of no return? 4
3A 15. Kick off 10
4A 16. "Outta my way!" 4
5A 17. ABC's realm 10
6A 18. Body part affected by heterochromia 4
7A 19. Fed 4
8A 20. ___ Mai, Grammy-winning R&B singer 4
9A 21. Buff 5
10A 22. Drops 5
11A 24. Mars rover named in honor of a 19th-century activist 9
12A 26. Ludwig ___, post-W.W. II leader who led West Germany's economic recovery 6
13A 28. Cooking term whose name is composed of two synonyms for "criticize" 8
14A 29. Agcy. tracking popular baby names 3
15A 30. Agcy. concerned with declarations 3
16A 32. Parts of some high-speed rail systems 7
17A 33. Be exceptionally good, in modern slang 4
18A 34. Vaper's purchase 4
19A 35. What Esau got in exchange for selling his birthright to Jacob 7
20A 38. Disclaimer in a quote 3
21A 39. "Hang" 3
22A 42. Detaches from the frame, perhaps 8
23A 44. Grammatical case in 48-Across 6
24A 46. Longtime Pixar character who saiys "I might be old, but I still got a spring in my step!" 9
25A 48. See 44-Across 5
26A 49. Super, slangily 5
27A 50. Curve on a score 4
28A 52. Follower of hand or home 4
29A 53. Bit of filming 4
30A 54. Asteroids and Space Invaders 10
31A 56. In the past 4
32A 57. System by which all speech is protected? 10
33A 58. Cravings 4
34A 59. Club runners 10

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Result of a tense build-up?"

10 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "11. Hit a point of no return?"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that succeed at easily
  • Similar words include: pass with flying colors, sail through, sweep through
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ACED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "15. Kick off"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that commence officially
  • Similar words include: kick off, usher in, introduce
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: INAUGURATE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "16. "Outta my way!""

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of deciding to do something
  • Similar words include: propel, motivate, locomote
  • Opposite of: stay, refrain
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "17. ABC's realm"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "18. Body part affected by heterochromia"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
  • Similar words include: flag, iris diaphragm, fleur-de-lis
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "19. Fed"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "20. ___ Mai, Grammy-winning R&B singer"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "21. Buff"

5 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "22. Drops"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
  • Similar words include: suffer, lose, drop off
  • Opposite of: keep, profit
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOSES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "24. Mars rover named in honor of a 19th-century activist"

9 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a temporary resident
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOJOURNER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "26. Ludwig ___, post-W.W. II leader who led West Germany's economic recovery"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "28. Cooking term whose name is composed of two synonyms for "criticize""

8 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "29. Agcy. tracking popular baby names"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an independent government agency responsible for the social security system
  • Similar words include: Social Security Administration
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SSA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Agcy. concerned with declarations"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the bureau of the treasury department responsible for tax collections
  • Similar words include: Internal Revenue Service
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "32. Parts of some high-speed rail systems"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (physics) a device that attracts iron and produces a magnetic field
  • Similar words include: attracter, magnet, attraction
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAGNETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "33. Be exceptionally good, in modern slang"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a blow from a flat object (as an open hand)
  • Similar words include: bang, bolt, smack
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "34. Vaper's purchase"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "35. What Esau got in exchange for selling his birthright to Jacob"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a stew of vegetables and (sometimes) meat
  • Similar words include: potage
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: POTTAGE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "38. Disclaimer in a quote"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that urge to attack someone
  • Similar words include: set
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "39. "Hang""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that edible seeds or roots or stems or leaves or bulbs or tubers or nonsweet fruits of any of numerous herbaceous plant
  • Similar words include: veggie, vegetable
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VEG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "42. Detaches from the frame, perhaps"

8 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed
  • Similar words include: cark, unhinge, distract
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: UNHINGES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "44. Grammatical case in 48-Across"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb
  • Similar words include: dative case
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DATIVE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "46. Longtime Pixar character who saiys "I might be old, but I still got a spring in my step!""

9 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "48. See 44-Across"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any dialect of the language of ancient rome
  • Similar words include: Romance
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LATIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "49. Super, slangily"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "50. Curve on a score"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (music) a curved line spanning notes that are to be played legato
  • Similar words include: blur, spot, smirch
  • Opposite of: focus
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLUR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "52. Follower of hand or home"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that give certain properties to something
  • Similar words include: take in, make believe, puddle
  • Opposite of: break, unmake
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "53. Bit of filming"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property
  • Similar words include: take in, lease, postulate
  • Opposite of: abstain, obviate
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAKE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "54. Asteroids and Space Invaders"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "56. In the past"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (cricket) the division of play during which six balls are bowled at the batsman by one player from the other team from the same end of the pitch
  • Similar words include: all over, o'er, concluded
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "57. System by which all speech is protected?"

10 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "58. Cravings"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a yearning for something or to do something
  • Similar words include: yearn, languish, yen
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YENS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "59. Club runners"

10 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an executive officer of a firm or corporation
  • Similar words include: Chief Executive, president, chairman
  • Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PRESIDENTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Change sounds 7
2D 2. Captivates 7
3D 3. Actress Lyonne 7
4D 4. Neighbor of Sierra Leone 6
5D 5. In the past 3
6D 6. Use a fork for, in a way 4
7D 7. Some thesis defenses 5
8D 8. Trounce 6
9D 9. Singer dubbed the "Matriarch of the Blues" 9
10D 10. Gun before the green, say 3
11D 11. "Is it not?" 8
12D 12. Stellar visual effects 7
13D 13. Adjective that becomes its own synonym after its first letter is dropped 7
14D 14. Strands 7
15D 21. Precise and calculated 8
16D 23. First country to elect a female prime minister (1960) 8
17D 25. Tripping 6
18D 27. Sluggish 6
19D 31. One putting the pedal to the metal 9
20D 33. No-goodniks 8
21D 35. Toddler's walking aid 7
22D 36. Like someone using autoreply, perhaps 7
23D 37. Start to congeal 7
24D 39. Part of some gummies 7
25D 40. Clear 7
26D 41. Births 7
27D 43. Comfort 6
28D 45. Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety 6
29D 47. Mentors 5
30D 51. "Rude Boy" singer, to fans 4
31D 54. Ancient symbol of royalty 3
32D 55. Test not offered in high school, for short 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Change sounds"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a metallic sound
  • Similar words include: doggerel verse, jangle, jingle-jangle
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: JINGLES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Captivates"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that attract; cause to be enamored
  • Similar words include: trance, enamor, charm
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENAMORS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Actress Lyonne"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Neighbor of Sierra Leone"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a former british gold coin worth 21 shillings
  • Similar words include: Republic of Guinea, ginzo, dago
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GUINEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. In the past"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that gone by; or in the past
  • Similar words include: agone
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Use a fork for, in a way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
  • Similar words include: melodic line, tune up, line
  • Opposite of: untune
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUNE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. Some thesis defenses"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an examination conducted by spoken communication
  • Similar words include: oral, viva voce, oral examination
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORALS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Trounce"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a forceful consequence; a strong effect
  • Similar words include: impact, wham, whop
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WALLOP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Singer dubbed the "Matriarch of the Blues""

9 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Gun before the green, say"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that rate of revolution of a motor
  • Similar words include: revolutions per minute, rev up, rpm
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REV

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. "Is it not?""

8 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Stellar visual effects"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the outermost region of the sun's atmosphere; visible as a white halo during a solar eclipse
  • Similar words include: corona discharge, St. Elmo's fire, electric glow
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CORONAE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Adjective that becomes its own synonym after its first letter is dropped"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that morally bad or wrong
  • Similar words include: evil, vicious, malefic
  • Opposite of: good
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVILEST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Strands"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an outcome (good or bad) that is well deserved
  • Similar words include: forsake, abandon, desert
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DESERTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "21. Precise and calculated"

8 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of or relating to or involving or used in surgery
  • Similar words include: operative
  • Opposite of: nonsurgical, medical
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SURGICAL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "23. First country to elect a female prime minister (1960)"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "25. Tripping"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "27. Sluggish"

6 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "31. One putting the pedal to the metal"

9 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "33. No-goodniks"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is deemed to be despicable or contemptible
  • Similar words include: rat, lowlife, stinker
  • Pattern: ________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STINKERS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "35. Toddler's walking aid"

7 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "36. Like someone using autoreply, perhaps"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "37. Start to congeal"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that make thick or thicker
  • Similar words include: inspissate
  • Opposite of: thin
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THICKEN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "39. Part of some gummies"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of a group of organic substances essential in small quantities to normal metabolism
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VITAMIN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "40. Clear"

7 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
  • Similar words include: observable, manifest, apparent
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EVIDENT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "41. Births"

7 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a coming into being
  • Similar words include: genesis, Genesis, Book of Genesis
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GENESES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "43. Comfort"

6 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the comfort you feel when consoled in times of disappointment
  • Similar words include: consolation, comfort, soothe
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOLACE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "45. Mesoamerican staple with a "hot" variety"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a city in northern ghana
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TAMALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "47. Mentors"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a hindu or buddhist religious leader and spiritual teacher
  • Similar words include: Guru, guru
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GURUS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "51. "Rude Boy" singer, to fans"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "54. Ancient symbol of royalty"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that of southern europe; similar to but smaller than the adder
  • Similar words include: asp viper, Egyptian cobra, Naja haje
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "55. Test not offered in high school, for short"

3 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

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

34 Across Clues
32 Down Clues
66 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: September 04, 2026 at 08:05 AM