Today's NYT Crossword Answers
Welcome to our daily NYT Crossword answers page! The New York Times Crossword is widely considered the gold standard of crossword puzzles. If you're stuck on today's puzzle, we provide all the answers along with theme explanations and tricky clue breakdowns.
The NYT Crossword has been a daily institution since 1942, challenging millions of solvers with clever wordplay, cultural references, and innovative themes. Our answers page helps you finish the puzzle and learn from the experience.
NYT Crossword Difficulty by Day
The NYT Crossword follows a consistent difficulty progression throughout the week:
- Monday: Easiest puzzles - great for beginners
- Tuesday: Slightly harder than Monday
- Wednesday: Medium difficulty with clever themes
- Thursday: Tricks and gimmicks - expect the unexpected
- Friday: Hard themeless puzzles
- Saturday: Hardest day - expert level
- Sunday: Larger 21x21 grid, medium difficulty
How to Solve NYT Crossword Puzzles
Master the NYT Crossword with these strategies:
- Start with Fill-in-the-Blank: These clues are usually straightforward
- Look for Theme Answers: Longer answers often relate to the puzzle's theme
- Use Crossing Letters: Let confirmed letters guide uncertain answers
- Learn Crosswordese: Certain words appear frequently in puzzles
- Pay Attention to Tense: Clue tense matches answer tense
Common NYT Crossword Answers
These words appear frequently in crossword puzzles:
- Three-Letter: ERA, ORE, ATE, ONE, ERE, ARE, IRE, ODE, ALE, AWE
- Four-Letter: AREA, ARIA, ALOE, EPEE, OLEO, OREO, ELSE, EASE
- Five-Letter: ARENA, AERIE, EERIE, ORATE, OPERA, OMEGA
- Common Names: ESAI, OONA, ENYA, ENOS, ELIA, EERO, OMAR
Understanding Thursday Puzzles
Thursday NYT Crosswords are notorious for tricks and gimmicks:
- Rebus squares (multiple letters in one box)
- Unusual grid shapes
- Answers that read differently than expected
- Visual elements hidden in the grid
- Words that wrap or cross in unexpected ways
NYT Crossword History
The New York Times Crossword has a rich history:
- 1942: First NYT Crossword published during World War II
- 1950: Margaret Farrar becomes first puzzle editor
- 1993: Will Shortz becomes editor, revolutionizes the puzzle
- 1996: Digital crossword launched online
- Today: Over 1 million subscribers to NYT Games
Frequently Asked Questions
The daily crossword is released at 10 PM ET the night before (for Mon-Sat puzzles) and 6 PM ET on Saturday for Sunday's puzzle. Our answers update shortly after release.
Thursday puzzles traditionally feature tricks or gimmicks like rebus squares, unusual grids, or meta-puzzles. Expect the unexpected on Thursdays!
Will Shortz has been the NYT Crossword editor since 1993. He's credited with modernizing the puzzle, adding pop culture, and making it more accessible while maintaining quality.
NYT Games subscribers have access to the complete crossword archive dating back to 1993. You can play any past puzzle and track your solving statistics.
Crosswordese refers to words that appear frequently in crosswords due to their useful letter combinations, even though they're uncommon in everyday speech. Examples: EPEE, OLEO, ESNE, ALOE.
The full NYT Crossword requires a subscription. However, you can play a limited number of puzzles for free, and the Mini Crossword is always free.