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Monday, June 8, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers June 08, 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: 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. Deer sir? 4
2A 5. Free trial version 4
3A 9. Caspian or Mediterranean 3
4A 12. Designer ___ Boss 4
5A 13. Typographical embellishment 5
6A 14. Go across 4
7A 15. "Su-u-ure" 4
8A 16. Something green in a greenhouse 5
9A 17. Half ___ (when the minute hand points down) 4
10A 18. Popular board game adapted from India [1] 9
11A 20. They quickly spread online 5
12A 21. "Soldier, stop!" 4
13A 22. Page (through) 4
14A 23. Challenge for student drivers [2] 15
15A 30. Metals in mines 4
16A 31. Actor Stonestreet of "Modern Family" 4
17A 32. Apt zodiac sign for Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion 3
18A 33. Vitality 3
19A 34. Scoundrel's deeds 7
20A 37. A pair 3
21A 38. Card game whose name is something players cry 3
22A 39. Assistant 4
23A 40. Anthropologist Margaret 4
24A 41. Never stop having fun [3] 15
25A 46. "___ the night before Christmas ..." 4
26A 47. Word repeated in "___ ye, ___ ye!" 4
27A 48. Cube maker Erno 5
28A 50. Of the highest importance ... or, when parsed differently, what each bracketed number in the clues indicates? 9
29A 55. World's largest country with a four-letter name 4
30A 56. Underpinning 5
31A 57. Home of Columbus 4
32A 58. A single time 4
33A 59. Up in the air 5
34A 60. Zero 4
35A 61. "What a shame!" 3
36A 62. Test the weight of 4
37A 63. Backyard storage space 4

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. Deer sir?"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a male deer, especially an adult male red deer
  • Similar words include: hart, betray, grass
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "5. Free trial version"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a visual presentation showing how something works
  • Similar words include: exhibit, demonstration, demonstrate
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEMO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "9. Caspian or Mediterranean"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
  • Similar words include: ocean
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "12. Designer ___ Boss"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that french poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in france (1802-1885)
  • Similar words include: Victor Hugo, Victor-Marie Hugo
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HUGO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "13. Typographical embellishment"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a short line at the end of the main strokes of a character
  • Similar words include: seriph
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SERIF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "14. Go across"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the complete duration of something
  • Similar words include: couple, sweep, cross
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "15. "Su-u-ure""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "16. Something green in a greenhouse"

5 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that buildings for carrying on industrial labor
  • Similar words include: engraft, implant, flora
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLANT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "17. Half ___ (when the minute hand points down)"

4 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the time that has elapsed
  • Similar words include: by, past tense, preceding
  • Opposite of: present, future
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "18. Popular board game adapted from India [1]"

9 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a modern board game based on pachisi
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARCHEESI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "20. They quickly spread online"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation)
  • Similar words include: meme
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEMES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "21. "Soldier, stop!""

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the state of inactivity following an interruption
  • Similar words include: check, game, hold
  • Opposite of: start
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HALT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "22. Page (through)"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
  • Similar words include: flick, foliage, folio
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEAF

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "23. Challenge for student drivers [2]"

15 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARALLELPARKING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "30. Metals in mines"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined
  • Similar words include: ore
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "31. Actor Stonestreet of "Modern Family""

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "32. Apt zodiac sign for Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (astrology) a person who is born while the sun is in leo
  • Similar words include: Lion, Leo the Lion
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "33. Vitality"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "34. Scoundrel's deeds"

7 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that lack of honesty; acts of lying or cheating or stealing
  • Similar words include: dishonesty
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KNAVERY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "37. A pair"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
  • Similar words include: 2, deuce, ii
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWO

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "38. Card game whose name is something players cry"

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "39. Assistant"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer
  • Similar words include: auxiliary, adjutant, aide-de-camp
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AIDE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "40. Anthropologist Margaret"

4 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that united states anthropologist noted for her claims about adolescence and sexual behavior in polynesian cultures (1901-1978)
  • Similar words include: Margaret Mead, George Herbert Mead
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MEAD

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "41. Never stop having fun [3]"

15 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARTYPARTYPARTY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "46. "___ the night before Christmas ...""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "47. Word repeated in "___ ye, ___ ye!""

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
  • Similar words include: try, learn, listen
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEAR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "48. Cube maker Erno"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "50. Of the highest importance ... or, when parsed differently, what each bracketed number in the clues indicates?"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that having superior power and influence
  • Similar words include: preponderant, predominate, preponderating
  • Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PARAMOUNT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29A: "55. World's largest country with a four-letter name"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a theocratic islamic republic in the middle east in western asia; iran was the core of the ancient empire that was known as persia until 1935; rich in oil
  • Similar words include: Persia, Islamic Republic of Iran
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: IRAN

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30A: "56. Underpinning"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a relation that provides the foundation for something
  • Similar words include: cornerstone, base, fundament
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BASIS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31A: "57. Home of Columbus"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32A: "58. A single time"

4 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that on one occasion
  • Similar words include: erstwhile, formerly, in one case
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONCE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33A: "59. Up in the air"

5 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that at or on or to the masthead or upper rigging of a ship
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALOFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34A: "60. Zero"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a canonical hour that is the ninth hour of the day counting from sunrise
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NONE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35A: "61. "What a shame!""

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that utter `tsk,' `tut,' or `tut-tut,' as in disapproval
  • Similar words include: tut, tut-tut
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TSK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36A: "62. Test the weight of"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the property of being large in mass
  • Similar words include: heave up, ponderousness, heftiness
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HEFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37A: "63. Backyard storage space"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an outbuilding with a single story; used for shelter or storage
  • Similar words include: slough, throw off, cast
  • Opposite of: persistent
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Steamer or cruiser 4
2D 2. Oom-pah instrument 4
3D 3. Follower of New or teen 4
4D 4. Hidden snags 7
5D 5. Key to the right of "+" and "=" on a Mac keyboard 6
6D 6. What Taylor Swift calls the stages of her career 4
7D 7. 5x5-square crossword 4
8D 8. Frequently, in poetry 3
9D 9. Email winnower 10
10D 10. Effortlessness 4
11D 11. Tiny hill builders 4
12D 13. Characterize? 5
13D 14. Orate 5
14D 19. Nickname akin to Harry 3
15D 20. Compassion 5
16D 22. Den 4
17D 23. Short-term kind of store 5
18D 24. Sports locale 5
19D 25. Give a debriefing (to) 10
20D 26. Prime use for a crowbar 5
21D 27. Opposite of post- 3
22D 28. Starting to learn 5
23D 29. "Oh boy!" 5
24D 34. Watercraft for an Inuit 5
25D 35. Small bites 4
26D 36. Accessibility law inits. 3
27D 40. Leaves stranded 7
28D 42. Strong string 5
29D 43. What misers take to an extreme 6
30D 44. Bread maker's supply 5
31D 45. ___ Beesly, character who has the last line in the finale of "The Office" 3
32D 48. Civil uprising 4
33D 49. Caterer's containers 4
34D 50. Whitish 4
35D 51. Starting, timewise 4
36D 52. "This looks like trouble!" 4
37D 53. Number in a nonet 4
38D 54. Follower of pointy or pigeon 4
39D 56. Expression of contempt 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Steamer or cruiser"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a vessel that carries passengers or freight
  • Similar words include: embark, transport, send
  • Opposite of: disembark
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHIP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Oom-pah instrument"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the lowest brass wind instrument
  • Similar words include: bass horn, sousaphone
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TUBA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. Follower of New or teen"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Hidden snags"

7 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. Key to the right of "+" and "=" on a Mac keyboard"

6 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that remove or make invisible
  • Similar words include: cancel, blue-pencil, edit
  • Opposite of: record
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELETE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. What Taylor Swift calls the stages of her career"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
  • Similar words include: geological era, epoch, earned run average
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERAS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. 5x5-square crossword"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a very short skirt
  • Similar words include: miniskirt
  • Opposite of: midi
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MINI

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Frequently, in poetry"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that many times at short intervals
  • Similar words include: frequently, ofttimes, often
  • Opposite of: infrequently, rarely
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. Email winnower"

10 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Effortlessness"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. Tiny hill builders"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that social insect living in organized colonies; characteristically the males and fertile queen have wings during breeding season; wingless sterile females are the workers
  • Similar words include: ant, pismire, emmet
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "13. Characterize?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation
  • Similar words include: turn, magical spell, spell out
  • Opposite of: unspell
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPELL

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "14. Orate"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that express in speech
  • Similar words include: verbalize, address, mouth
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPEAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "19. Nickname akin to Harry"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "20. Compassion"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
  • Similar words include: mercifulness, clemency
  • Opposite of: mercilessness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MERCY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "22. Den"

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!

17D: "23. Short-term kind of store"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "24. Sports locale"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particular environment or walk of life
  • Similar words include: stadium, orbit, sphere
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARENA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "25. Give a debriefing (to)"

10 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "26. Prime use for a crowbar"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a rigid bar pivoted about a fulcrum
  • Similar words include: prise, pry, jimmy
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "27. Opposite of post-"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "28. Starting to learn"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "29. "Oh boy!""

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that something considered choice to eat
  • Similar words include: kickshaw, dainty, treat
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: GOODY

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Watercraft for an Inuit"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small canoe consisting of a light frame made watertight with animal skins; used by eskimos
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: KAYAK

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Small bites"

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small drink of liquor
  • Similar words include: squeeze, twinge, tanginess
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NIPS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. Accessibility law inits."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an enzyme found in mammals that can catalyze the deamination of adenosine into inosine and ammonia
  • Similar words include: adenosine deaminase
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ADA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "40. Leaves stranded"

7 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a person who is stranded (as on an island)
  • Similar words include: strand, maroon
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAROONS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "42. Strong string"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a lightweight cord
  • Similar words include: entwine, enlace, interlace
  • Opposite of: untwine, untwist
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TWINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "43. What misers take to an extreme"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of numerous sun-loving low-growing evergreens of the genus armeria having round heads of pink or white flowers
  • Similar words include: parsimony, parsimoniousness, penny-pinching
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THRIFT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. Bread maker's supply"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a commercial leavening agent containing yeast cells; used to raise the dough in making bread and for fermenting beer or whiskey
  • Similar words include: barm
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: YEAST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "45. ___ Beesly, character who has the last line in the finale of "The Office""

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "48. Civil uprising"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a public act of violence by an unruly mob
  • Similar words include: howler, debauchery, orgy
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: RIOT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Caterer's containers"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large vase that usually has a pedestal or feet
  • Similar words include: urn
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: URNS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Whitish"

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a wooden strip forming part of a fence
  • Similar words include: picket, wan, pallid
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PALE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "51. Starting, timewise"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

36D: "52. "This looks like trouble!""

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

37D: "53. Number in a nonet"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
  • Similar words include: niner, club, IX
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NINE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

38D: "54. Follower of pointy or pigeon"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that walk so that the toes assume an indicated position or direction
  • Similar words include: toe, toenail
  • Opposite of: toeless
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

39D: "56. Expression of contempt"

3 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

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

37 Across Clues
39 Down Clues
76 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 08, 2026 at 08:28 AM

Saturday, February 14, 2026

XWordHint Crossword Answers February 14, 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. It's made with two fingers 9
2A 10. They're often taken in December 11
3A 12. Features of many romantic dramas 13
4A 14. "Follow me" 4
5A 15. Heart test, for short 3
6A 16. Subject of study 4
7A 18. Go heavy at the buffet, say 6
8A 21. Kind of car on a long-distance train 6
9A 23. The W.N.B.A.'s Dream, on scoreboards 3
10A 24. Requirement of some dress codes 7
11A 28. Tree of life, in Norse mythology 3
12A 29. Tire meas. 3
13A 30. Intimate footage 7
14A 31. Meadow 3
15A 32. Arrive suddenly and from a distance, metaphorically 11
16A 35. Big drink 4
17A 37. Unlikeable sorts 5
18A 38. Like a nepo baby's life, perhaps 4
19A 41. Things peddled 5
20A 43. B.C. winter hrs. 3
21A 44. Arizona State city 5
22A 45. Where Excalibur was forged 6
23A 47. North African fortress 6
24A 48. Access, as a profitable enterprise 7
25A 50. Potpourri bags 7
26A 51. Ones no longer in office? 13
27A 53. One of the "Golden Girls" of the 2024 Summer Olympics 11
28A 54. Puts one's money on the line 9

Across Clues - Strategic Hints

1A: "1. It's made with two fingers"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2A: "10. They're often taken in December"

11 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3A: "12. Features of many romantic dramas"

13 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4A: "14. "Follow me""

4 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: number, get along, arrive
  • Opposite of: leave, go
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: COME

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5A: "15. Heart test, for short"

3 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a graphical recording of the cardiac cycle produced by an electrocardiograph
  • Similar words include: EKG, electrocardiogram, cardiogram
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ECG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6A: "16. Subject of study"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

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: sphere, arena, orbit
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AREA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7A: "18. Go heavy at the buffet, say"

6 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8A: "21. Kind of car on a long-distance train"

6 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the act of eating dinner
  • Similar words include: din, dine, boom
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DINING

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9A: "23. The W.N.B.A.'s Dream, on scoreboards"

3 letters Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10A: "24. Requirement of some dress codes"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the part of a garment that is attached at the armhole and that provides a cloth covering for the arm
  • Similar words include: sleeve, arm
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLEEVES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11A: "28. Tree of life, in Norse mythology"

3 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the residue that remains when something is burned
  • Similar words include: ash tree
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12A: "29. Tire meas."

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13A: "30. Intimate footage"

7 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14A: "31. Meadow"

3 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a unit of length of thread or yarn
  • Similar words include: ley, grazing land, pasture
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15A: "32. Arrive suddenly and from a distance, metaphorically"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16A: "35. Big drink"

4 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a large and hurried swallow
  • Similar words include: slog, draft, draught
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWIG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17A: "37. Unlikeable sorts"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an implement used in the practice of a vocation
  • Similar words include: tool, creature, prick
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOOLS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18A: "38. Like a nepo baby's life, perhaps"

4 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19A: "41. Things peddled"

5 letters Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that articles of the same kind or material; usually used in combination: `silverware', `software'
  • Similar words include: war, consume, waste
  • Opposite of: make peace
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WARES

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20A: "43. B.C. winter hrs."

3 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that standard time in the 8th time zone west of greenwich, reckoned at the 120th meridian west; used in far western states of the united states
  • Similar words include: Pacific Standard Time, Pacific Time
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PST

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21A: "44. Arizona State city"

5 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22A: "45. Where Excalibur was forged"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23A: "47. North African fortress"

6 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that an older or native quarter of many cities in northern africa; the quarter in which the citadel is located
  • Similar words include: kasbah
  • Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CASBAH

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24A: "48. Access, as a profitable enterprise"

7 letters Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25A: "50. Potpourri bags"

7 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a small soft bag containing perfumed powder; used to perfume items in a drawer or chest
  • Similar words include: sachet
  • Pattern: _______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SACHETS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26A: "51. Ones no longer in office?"

13 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27A: "53. One of the "Golden Girls" of the 2024 Summer Olympics"

11 letters Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28A: "54. Puts one's money on the line"

9 letters Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

Down Clues - Complete List

No. Clue Letters
1D 1. Smoothed over, in a way 5
2D 2. Suffix with benz- 3
3D 3. QB stat: Abbr. 3
4D 4. Attention to detail 4
5D 5. "Totally awesome!" 4
6D 6. Screw or nail, to a Brit 4
7D 7. It's charged 3
8D 8. Texter's ta-ta 3
9D 9. "Oppenheimer" director 5
10D 10. Antagonists in 2013's "Captain Phillips" 13
11D 11. One-of-a-kind figures 13
12D 12. Takes badly? 5
13D 13. Faculty 5
14D 14. Show appreciation, in a way 4
15D 17. Honorific meaning "elder brother" 4
16D 19. Losing team in the "Miracle on Ice" 4
17D 20. Fold 5
18D 21. Govt. divisions 5
19D 22. "That's clear now" 4
20D 25. Many a private investigator 5
21D 26. Community spirit 5
22D 27. Gymnastics event 5
23D 33. Minor issue? 8
24D 34. Greenland expanse 8
25D 35. Stylish confidence 4
26D 36. Show indecision 5
27D 39. Short rows 5
28D 40. Nervous laughs 4
29D 42. County next to Napa 6
30D 44. Take on, or take down 6
31D 46. Violating the rules 5
32D 47. Beer brand from Trinidad and Tobago 5
33D 49. Goose named for its call 4
34D 50. Buckwheat noodle 4
35D 52. Maryland governor Moore 3

Down Clues - Strategic Hints

1D: "1. Smoothed over, in a way"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that cover with a material such as stone or concrete to make suitable for vehicle traffic
  • Similar words include: pave
  • Opposite of: unpaved
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PAVED

Remember this word for future puzzles!

2D: "2. Suffix with benz-"

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the compass point midway between northeast and east
  • Similar words include: east northeast
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

3D: "3. QB stat: Abbr."

3 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

4D: "4. Attention to detail"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
  • Similar words include: tending, fear, upkeep
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

5D: "5. "Totally awesome!""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
  • Similar words include: epic poem, heroic, heroic poem
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EPIC

Remember this word for future puzzles!

6D: "6. Screw or nail, to a Brit"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a strong coarse tobacco that has been shredded
  • Similar words include: fuck, piece of tail, nookie
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

7D: "7. It's charged"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a particle that is electrically charged (positive or negative); an atom or molecule or group that has lost or gained one or more electrons
  • Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ION

Remember this word for future puzzles!

8D: "8. Texter's ta-ta"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

9D: "9. "Oppenheimer" director"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

10D: "10. Antagonists in 2013's "Captain Phillips""

13 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

11D: "11. One-of-a-kind figures"

13 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

12D: "12. Takes badly?"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that goods or money obtained illegally
  • Similar words include: pillage, clams, dinero
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOTS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

13D: "13. Faculty"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a general conscious awareness
  • Similar words include: good sense, feel, smell
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SENSE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

14D: "14. Show appreciation, in a way"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a sudden very loud noise
  • Similar words include: clack, applaud, gonorrhoea
  • Opposite of: boo
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLAP

Remember this word for future puzzles!

15D: "17. Honorific meaning "elder brother""

4 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that title for a civil or military leader (especially in turkey)
  • Similar words include: Aga
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AGHA

Remember this word for future puzzles!

16D: "19. Losing team in the "Miracle on Ice""

4 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a former communist country in eastern europe and northern asia; established in 1922; included russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (ukraine and byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 december 1991
  • Similar words include: Russia, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Soviet Union
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: USSR

Remember this word for future puzzles!

17D: "20. Fold"

5 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that any of various types of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and then pressing or stitching into shape
  • Similar words include: ruffle, plait, plicate
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PLEAT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

18D: "21. Govt. divisions"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

19D: "22. "That's clear now""

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

20D: "25. Many a private investigator"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

21D: "26. Community spirit"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that (anthropology) the distinctive spirit of a culture or an era
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ETHOS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

22D: "27. Gymnastics event"

5 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a burial chamber (usually underground)
  • Similar words include: overleap, burial vault, hurdle
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VAULT

Remember this word for future puzzles!

23D: "33. Minor issue?"

8 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

24D: "34. Greenland expanse"

8 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

25D: "35. Stylish confidence"

4 letters 💭 Category: Proper Noun

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that valuable goods
  • Similar words include: sag, pillage, droop
  • Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SWAG

Remember this word for future puzzles!

26D: "36. Show indecision"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that someone who communicates by waving
  • Similar words include: fluctuate, flicker, flitter
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WAVER

Remember this word for future puzzles!

27D: "39. Short rows"

5 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a quarrel about petty points
  • Similar words include: bicker, fuss, bickering
  • Opposite of: boo
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPATS

Remember this word for future puzzles!

28D: "40. Nervous laughs"

4 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

29D: "42. County next to Napa"

6 letters 💭 Category: General Knowledge

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

30D: "44. Take on, or take down"

6 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that the person who plays that position on a football team
  • Similar words include: take on, rigging, fishing rig
  • Opposite of: unharness
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TACKLE

Remember this word for future puzzles!

31D: "46. Violating the rules"

5 letters 💭 Category: Abbreviation

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

32D: "47. Beer brand from Trinidad and Tobago"

5 letters 💭 Category: Common Word

Solving Hints:

  • Think of something that a member of an american indian peoples of northeastern south america and the lesser antilles
  • Similar words include: Carib Indian, Caribbean language
  • Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CARIB

Remember this word for future puzzles!

33D: "49. Goose named for its call"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

34D: "50. Buckwheat noodle"

4 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

Remember this word for future puzzles!

35D: "52. Maryland governor Moore"

3 letters 💭 Category: Wordplay

Solving Hints:

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

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

28 Across Clues
35 Down Clues
63 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: February 14, 2026 at 04:55 AM