Master today's NYT crossword with our expert hint system. We provide synonyms, antonyms, and strategic clues to help you solve without spoiling the fun. Perfect for crossword lovers who want that satisfying "aha!" moment.
Quick Navigation - Table of Contents
- Today's Puzzle Difficulty
- Across Clues Table (35 clues)
- Across Clues - Detailed Hints
- Down Clues Table (35 clues)
- Down Clues - Detailed Hints
- Expert Solving Strategies
- Today's Puzzle Statistics
Today's Puzzle Difficulty: Challenging
Pro Tip: Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues - they're usually the easiest entry points!
Across Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1A | 1. Light décor | 10 |
| 2A | 11. Last place? | 4 |
| 3A | 15. Pop-up with an envelope icon | 10 |
| 4A | 16. Round figure | 4 |
| 5A | 17. Winner's circle? | 10 |
| 6A | 18. Take two | 4 |
| 7A | 19. Hyperfixated | 6 |
| 8A | 20. "Thick ___ Brick" (1972 Jethro Tull album) | 3 |
| 9A | 21. Earth's pull, informally | 4 |
| 10A | 22. On the ___ (free) | 5 |
| 11A | 23. Thumbs-down votes in the Duma | 5 |
| 12A | 25. Why wait? | 3 |
| 13A | 26. Personal circumstances, so to speak | 5 |
| 14A | 28. Justice who's the subject of the 2026 biography "Revenge for the Sixties" | 5 |
| 15A | 30. Rolls out the green carpet? | 4 |
| 16A | 34. First full word sung in "The Alphabet Song" | 3 |
| 17A | 35. Proverbial small amount | 6 |
| 18A | 36. "Now we're talking!" | 15 |
| 19A | 39. Capers | 6 |
| 20A | 40. Common ___ | 3 |
| 21A | 41. Rowing machines, in gym lingo | 4 |
| 22A | 42. "Schitt's Creek" matriarch | 5 |
| 23A | 43. Really hurts | 5 |
| 24A | 45. Rout, in computer game lingo | 3 |
| 25A | 46. Word with letter or grant | 5 |
| 26A | 48. Toothbrush handle? | 5 |
| 27A | 53. Smokes | 4 |
| 28A | 55. N.B.A. coach Jordan ___ | 3 |
| 29A | 56. Punnily named production company behind TV's "Insecure" and "A Black Lady Sketch Show" | 6 |
| 30A | 57. Stat | 4 |
| 31A | 58. Common sleep aid | 10 |
| 32A | 60. Acquire by default? | 4 |
| 33A | 61. Math class assignment | 10 |
| 34A | 62. Labor, e.g.: Abbr. | 4 |
| 35A | 63. Appliances that are always blowing out? | 10 |
Across Clues - Strategic Hints
1A: "1. Light décor"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a protective ornamental shade used to screen a light bulb from direct view
- Similar words include: lampshade, lamp shade
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LAMPSHADES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2A: "11. Last place?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
- Similar words include: grave
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TOMB
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3A: "15. Pop-up with an envelope icon"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: EMAILALERT
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4A: "16. Round figure"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it
- Similar words include: ovoid, ovate, prolate
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVAL
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5A: "17. Winner's circle?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: VICTORYLAP
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6A: "18. Take two"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that do over, as of (part of) a house
- Similar words include: remake, remodel, refashion
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REDO
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7A: "19. Hyperfixated"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ENRAPT
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8A: "20. "Thick ___ Brick" (1972 Jethro Tull album)"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASA
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9A: "21. Earth's pull, informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ONEG
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10A: "22. On the ___ (free)"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that grant freedom to; free from confinement
- Similar words include: unaffixed, at large, relax
- Opposite of: confine, stiffen
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOOSE
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11A: "23. Thumbs-down votes in the Duma"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NYETS
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12A: "25. Why wait?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
- Similar words include: confidential information, wind, bakshish
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TIP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13A: "26. Personal circumstances, so to speak"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a particular situation
- Similar words include: shoe, horseshoe, brake shoe
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SHOES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14A: "28. Justice who's the subject of the 2026 biography "Revenge for the Sixties""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALITO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15A: "30. Rolls out the green carpet?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that surface layer of ground containing a mat of grass and grass roots
- Similar words include: sod, turf, sodomite
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SODS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16A: "34. First full word sung in "The Alphabet Song""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AND
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17A: "35. Proverbial small amount"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a very small quantity of something
- Similar words include: lowlife, rotter, crumb
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CRUMBS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18A: "36. "Now we're talking!""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: THATSMORELIKEIT
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19A: "39. Capers"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement
- Similar words include: trick, put-on, caper
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ANTICS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20A: "40. Common ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event
- Similar words include: epoch, earned run average, geological era
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21A: "41. Rowing machines, in gym lingo"
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
- Similar words include: erg
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERGS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22A: "42. "Schitt's Creek" matriarch"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOIRA
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23A: "43. Really hurts"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that injure or wound seriously and leave permanent disfiguration or mutilation
- Similar words include: maim
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MAIMS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24A: "45. Rout, in computer game lingo"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PWN
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25A: "46. Word with letter or grant"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a solid piece of something (usually having flat rectangular sides)
- Similar words include: deflect, forget, embarrass
- Opposite of: unstuff, unblock
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLOCK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26A: "48. Toothbrush handle?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ORALB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27A: "53. Smokes"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CIGS
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28A: "55. N.B.A. coach Jordan ___"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OTT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29A: "56. Punnily named production company behind TV's "Insecure" and "A Black Lady Sketch Show""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HOORAE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30A: "57. Stat"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that as soon as possible
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ASAP
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31A: "58. Common sleep aid"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: WHITENOISE
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32A: "60. Acquire by default?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: REPO
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33A: "61. Math class assignment"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PROBLEMSET
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34A: "62. Labor, e.g.: Abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DEPT
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35A: "63. Appliances that are always blowing out?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: __________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HANDDRYERS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Down Clues - Complete List
| No. | Clue | Letters |
|---|---|---|
| 1D | 1. Carpenter's tool | 5 |
| 2D | 2. ___ acid | 5 |
| 3D | 3. Kind of photography lens for a close-up | 5 |
| 4D | 4. Wraps in the Mideast | 5 |
| 5D | 5. Certain geometry calculations | 6 |
| 6D | 6. Playwright Moss ___ | 4 |
| 7D | 7. Gymnast Raisman | 3 |
| 8D | 8. What a joke may get eventually | 15 |
| 9D | 9. Takes marks off in a classroom? | 6 |
| 10D | 10. Mid-March V.I.P., informally | 5 |
| 11D | 11. "Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain | 4 |
| 12D | 12. Kitchen counter | 9 |
| 13D | 13. Became a household name, say | 9 |
| 14D | 14. Examples of media on Medium | 9 |
| 15D | 23. Many a listing in an etiquette book | 4 |
| 16D | 24. Wrap in South Asia | 4 |
| 17D | 27. Actors unsuited for subtle roles | 4 |
| 18D | 29. Country singer Combs | 4 |
| 19D | 30. Rewards program tracker | 9 |
| 20D | 31. "It's finally clear" | 9 |
| 21D | 32. Phone connector? | 9 |
| 22D | 33. Arouse | 4 |
| 23D | 35. Simoleon | 4 |
| 24D | 37. Labor pain? | 4 |
| 25D | 38. Journalist Larson who wrote "The Splendid and the Vile" | 4 |
| 26D | 43. Godzilla adversary | 6 |
| 27D | 44. Longhorn's rival | 6 |
| 28D | 47. Acidic | 5 |
| 29D | 49. Capacious | 5 |
| 30D | 50. Surface | 5 |
| 31D | 51. Pointer for a public speaker | 5 |
| 32D | 52. Sources of the juice that "bleeds" in a faux meat patty | 5 |
| 33D | 54. Tough thing to be in | 4 |
| 34D | 56. Stayed together | 4 |
| 35D | 59. Placeholder abbr. | 3 |
Down Clues - Strategic Hints
1D: "1. Carpenter's tool"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
- Similar words include: stratum, plane, tied
- Opposite of: raise
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LEVEL
Remember this word for future puzzles!
2D: "2. ___ acid"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that the radical -nh2
- Similar words include: amino group, aminic
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: AMINO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
3D: "3. Kind of photography lens for a close-up"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a single computer instruction that results in a series of instructions in machine language
- Similar words include: macro instruction
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MACRO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
4D: "4. Wraps in the Mideast"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that usually small round bread that can open into a pocket for filling
- Similar words include: pita, pocket bread
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: PITAS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
5D: "5. Certain geometry calculations"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an elevated geological formation
- Similar words include: squelch, squish, splosh
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SLOPES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
6D: "6. Playwright Moss ___"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that united states playwright who collaborated with george s. kaufman (1904-1961)
- Similar words include: stag, Lorenz Hart, Moss Hart
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HART
Remember this word for future puzzles!
7D: "7. Gymnast Raisman"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ALY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
8D: "8. What a joke may get eventually"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _______________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DELAYEDREACTION
Remember this word for future puzzles!
9D: "9. Takes marks off in a classroom?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that remove from memory or existence
- Similar words include: delete, rub out, wipe out
- Opposite of: record
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERASES
Remember this word for future puzzles!
10D: "10. Mid-March V.I.P., informally"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STPAT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
11D: "11. "Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TORO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
12D: "12. Kitchen counter"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OVENTIMER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
13D: "13. Became a household name, say"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MADEITBIG
Remember this word for future puzzles!
14D: "14. Examples of media on Medium"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BLOGPOSTS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
15D: "23. Many a listing in an etiquette book"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: NONO
Remember this word for future puzzles!
16D: "24. Wrap in South Asia"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a dress worn primarily by hindu women; consists of several yards of light material that is draped around the body
- Similar words include: saree
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SARI
Remember this word for future puzzles!
17D: "27. Actors unsuited for subtle roles"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
- Similar words include: ham actor, ham, overplay
- Opposite of: underact
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HAMS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
18D: "29. Country singer Combs"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that (new testament) the apostle closely associated with st. paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third gospel
- Similar words include: Saint Luke, Gospel of Luke, Gospel According to Luke
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LUKE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
19D: "30. Rewards program tracker"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STAMPCARD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
20D: "31. "It's finally clear""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: OHNOWISEE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
21D: "32. Phone connector?"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _________
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: DATINGAPP
Remember this word for future puzzles!
22D: "33. Arouse"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a prominent or sensational but short-lived news event
- Similar words include: shake, put forward, ado
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: STIR
Remember this word for future puzzles!
23D: "35. Simoleon"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness
- Similar words include: dollar bill, buck, dollar
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: CLAM
Remember this word for future puzzles!
24D: "37. Labor pain?"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike
- Similar words include: rat, strikebreaker, fink
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SCAB
Remember this word for future puzzles!
25D: "38. Journalist Larson who wrote "The Splendid and the Vile""
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ERIK
Remember this word for future puzzles!
26D: "43. Godzilla adversary"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: MOTHRA
Remember this word for future puzzles!
27D: "44. Longhorn's rival"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a native or resident of oklahoma
- Similar words include: Oklahoman, preferably, rather
- Pattern: ______
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SOONER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
28D: "47. Acidic"
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LOWPH
Remember this word for future puzzles!
29D: "49. Capacious"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an associate who shares a room with you
- Similar words include: roomie, spacious, roommate
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ROOMY
Remember this word for future puzzles!
30D: "50. Surface"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that come into existence; take on form or shape
- Similar words include: lift, originate, rise up
- Opposite of: sit down, go to bed
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: ARISE
Remember this word for future puzzles!
31D: "51. Pointer for a public speaker"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation; an optical device that produces an intense monochromatic beam of coherent light
- Similar words include: optical maser
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: LASER
Remember this word for future puzzles!
32D: "52. Sources of the juice that "bleeds" in a faux meat patty"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that biennial eurasian plant usually having a swollen edible root; widely cultivated as a food crop
- Similar words include: Beta vulgaris, common beet, beetroot
- Pattern: _____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: BEETS
Remember this word for future puzzles!
33D: "54. Tough thing to be in"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that a point located with respect to surface features of some region
- Similar words include: stain, smirch, make out
- Pattern: ____
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: SPOT
Remember this word for future puzzles!
34D: "56. Stayed together"
Solving Hints:
- Think of something that keep in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g.,
- Similar words include: book, bind, concur
- Opposite of: disagree, let go of
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: HELD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
35D: "59. Placeholder abbr."
Solving Hints:
- Pattern: ___
Click to reveal answer (spoiler alert!)
Answer: TBD
Remember this word for future puzzles!
Expert Solving Strategies
Start Smart
Begin with fill-in-the-blank clues and short 3-4 letter words. These are your foundation.
Decode the Clues
Question marks indicate wordplay or puns. "Maybe" suggests multiple interpretations.
Use Cross-References
Let intersecting letters guide you. One correct answer unlocks several others.
Build Vocabulary
Common crossword words repeat. Learning them speeds up future solving.
Today's Puzzle Stats
35 Across Clues
35 Down Clues
70 Total Clues
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