NYT Crossword hints and answer for August 25, 2026

Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.

Clues76
Across40
Down36
ConstructorBryan Kaproth-Gerecht

Today’s NYT Crossword clues, hints & answers

Every clue from this puzzle with a hint and the answer behind separate buttons, so you only see what you need. Click a clue for its own page.

Across

1A
Sharpened point of a quill pen (3)
Starts with N, ends with BNIB→
8A
South Asian royals (5)
Starts with R, ends with SRAJAS→
13A
Actress Longoria (3)
Starts with E, ends with AEVA→
14A
Free-spirited style, informally (4)
Starts with B, ends with OBOHO→
15A
*6th (6)
Starts with S, ends with NSATURN→
18A
Paradise (6)
Starts with U, ends with AUTOPIA→
19A
Musical flutter (5)
Starts with T, ends with LTRILL→
20A
Billion years, astronomically (4)
Starts with A, ends with NAEON→
22A
___ skirt (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMIDI→
23A
"Miracle on Ice" foe, for short (4)
Starts with U, ends with RUSSR→
24A
Smart set (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMENSA→
26A
To, informally (3)
Starts with T, ends with LTIL→
27A
"___ it!" (shout in a game of tag) (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNOT→
28A
*2nd (5)
Starts with V, ends with SVENUS→
30A
Arouses, as an appetite (5)
Starts with W, ends with SWHETS→
32A
Captivate (6)
Starts with E, ends with RENAMOR→
34A
*1st (7)
Starts with M, ends with YMERCURY→
36A
Settled on the ground, say (4)
Starts with A, ends with TALIT→
38A
Something told with two hands? (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETIME→
39A
Bluish-silver Christmas trees, maybe (7)
Starts with S, ends with SSPRUCES→
42A
Hosp. recovery area (6)
Starts with P, ends with PPOSTOP→
46A
Great divide (5)
Starts with C, ends with MCHASM→
47A
Moon believed to have a subsurface ocean (5)
Starts with T, ends with NTITAN→
49A
Gamer's "off-line" (3)
Starts with I, ends with LIRL→
50A
Kool-Aid competitor (3)
Starts with H, ends with CHIC→
51A
*3rd (5)
Starts with E, ends with HEARTH→
53A
McEntire of country music (4)
Starts with R, ends with AREBA→
54A
Some Monopoly properties: Abbr. (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAVES→
56A
Drink in a sippy cup, to a toddler (4)
Starts with W, ends with AWAWA→
57A
Commence (5)
Starts with B, ends with NBEGIN→
58A
Mexican beer brand (6)
Starts with T, ends with ETECATE→
60A
"I'd love to go" (8)
Starts with I, ends with EITSADATE→
62A
*7th (6)
Starts with U, ends with SURANUS→
63A
Bygone Russian leader (4)
Starts with T, ends with RTSAR→
64A
Pad (3)
Starts with M, ends with TMAT→
65A
Baker's glassware brand (5)
Starts with P, ends with XPYREX→
67A
"Y"-sounding pair of letters, in Spanish (3)
Starts with E, ends with SELS→

Down

1D
*8th (7)
Starts with N, ends with ENEPTUNE→
2D
Allen who was the 2001 N.B.A. M.V.P. (7)
Starts with I, ends with NIVERSON→
3D
One known for the morning grind? (7)
Starts with B, ends with ABARISTA→
4D
Second-born son in the Bible (4)
Starts with A, ends with LABEL→
5D
___ pond (3)
Starts with K, ends with IKOI→
6D
"Wowza!" (6)
Starts with O, ends with NOHDAMN→
7D
Tiny biting insect (7)
Starts with N, ends with MNOSEEUM→
8D
9D
Focus of some physicists (4)
Starts with A, ends with MATOM→
10D
*5th (7)
Starts with J, ends with RJUPITER→
11D
Desert quality (7)
Starts with A, ends with YARIDITY→
12D
Epitomes of slowness (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSNAILS→
15D
Symbols of fair weather (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSUNS→
17D
Mirror-and-prism camera, for short (3)
Starts with S, ends with RSLR→
21D
Arrival of symptoms (5)
Starts with O, ends with TONSET→
25D
"Man, that's hardly fair!" (6)
Starts with A, ends with NAWCMON→
28D
Fullness, in hairstyling (6)
Starts with V, ends with EVOLUME→
29D
"The Little Mermaid" prince (4)
Starts with E, ends with CERIC→
31D
Shades (4)
Starts with H, ends with SHUES→
33D
*4th (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMARS→
35D
Kelly of morning TV (4)
Starts with R, ends with ARIPA→
37D
Neon ___ (aquarium fish) (5)
Starts with T, ends with ATETRA→
40D
Raceway speed setter (7)
Starts with P, ends with RPACECAR→
41D
Mull over (7)
Starts with S, ends with HSITWITH→
43D
Reason to go into penalty kicks (7)
Starts with T, ends with ETIEGAME→
46D
Flirt with, in a way (6)
Starts with C, ends with PCHATUP→
48D
"Are you sure?" (6)
Starts with T, ends with OTHATSO→
52D
Spellbinds (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAWES→
53D
Sunburned, perhaps (3)
Starts with R, ends with DRED→
55D
Reasonable (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESANE→
57D
Reveal (4)
Starts with B, ends with EBARE→
59D
Black-and-white wedding rental (3)
Starts with T, ends with XTUX→
61D
Gullible sort (3)
Starts with S, ends with PSAP→

How to solve the NYT Crossword

Fill the grid so that every Across and Down answer matches its clue. Numbered squares mark where answers begin. Theme answers, usually the longest entries, share a twist that the puzzle's title or a revealer clue explains. Thursday puzzles are known for rebus squares and other tricks that bend the normal rules.

Want the full method? Read our NYT Crossword strategy and tips, or check how to play the NYT Crossword on the hub.

NYT Crossword tips for tomorrow

  • Start with Monday-level clues. Even on a Saturday, a handful of clues are straightforward. Find them and build outward from the crossings.
  • Hunt for the revealer. A clue that references other entries or ends in "?" often explains the theme. Solving it first unlocks the long answers.
  • Respect the day of the week. Thursday means tricks like rebus squares; Friday and Saturday mean long, clever fill with misleading clues.

Done for today? Try The Mini, The Midi, LA Times Crossword, all with hints first and answers behind a reveal.

Previous NYT Crossword puzzles

NYT Crossword FAQ

How many clues are in the NYT Crossword for August 25, 2026?+

76 clues: 40 Across and 36 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Bryan Kaproth-Gerecht and edited by Will Shortz.

What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+

For example: Sharpened point of a quill pen (NIB); One-named Senegalese American singer with the #1 hits "I Wanna Love You" and "Don't Matter" (AKON); South Asian royals (RAJAS).

What time does the NYT Crossword come out?+

The next day's puzzle is released at 10:00 pm Eastern Time Monday to Friday and at 6:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

Where can I find past NYT Crossword answers?+

Every puzzle in our archive has its own page with all Across and Down answers, plus a page for each clue. Click any date above.

Today’s other puzzle answers

NYT Crossword guides