NYT Crossword hints and answer for December 15, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across36
Down40
ConstructorJeff Jerome and Andrea Carla Michaels
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
___ Nicholas (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSAINT→
6A
Judge's seat, from the French (4)
Starts with B, ends with CBANC→
10A
N.Y.C. airport (3)
Starts with J, ends with KJFK→
13A
"Star Wars" droid, familiarly (5)
Starts with A, ends with OARTOO→
14A
Side's length squared, for a square (4)
Starts with A, ends with AAREA→
15A
Thrilla in Manila boxer (3)
Starts with A, ends with IALI→
16A
Recharge one's batteries (6)
Starts with R, ends with PRESTUP→
18A
Prepared to bathe (8)
Starts with D, ends with DDISROBED→
20A
Cool ___ cucumber (3)
Starts with A, ends with AASA→
21A
"Balderdash!" (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLIES→
23A
Filled in (for), for short (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSUBBED→
24A
Schmoozed (with) (9)
Starts with H, ends with DHOBNOBBED→
27A
Good, long bath (4)
Starts with S, ends with KSOAK→
28A
Slight injury from tripping (10)
Starts with S, ends with ESTUBBEDTOE→
30A
Bridge support (5)
Starts with T, ends with STRUSS→
32A
Karl Marx's "___ Kapital" (3)
Starts with D, ends with SDAS→
33A
Do one better than (3)
Starts with T, ends with PTOP→
36A
President Hoover (7)
Starts with H, ends with THERBERT→
39A
"You take credit cards?" response (7)
Starts with Y, ends with OYESWEDO→
42A
Unconventional (3)
Starts with O, ends with DODD→
43A
Alternative to the pill, in brief (3)
Starts with I, ends with DIUD→
45A
Dog-___ (like the pages in some books) (5)
Starts with E, ends with DEARED→
46A
Foreign-language movie that you don't have to read subtitles for (10)
Starts with D, ends with MDUBBEDFILM→
50A
Location for a goatee or soul patch (4)
Starts with C, ends with NCHIN→
52A
Enchanted (9)
Starts with B, ends with DBEDAZZLED→
55A
Big-beaked tropical bird (6)
Starts with T, ends with NTOUCAN→
57A
One-named Brazilian soccer star (4)
Starts with P, ends with EPELE→
58A
"If you ask me …," to texters (3)
Starts with I, ends with OIMO→
59A
Camp sleeping spots … or a hint to this puzzle's circled letters (8)
Starts with B, ends with SBUNKBEDS→
61A
Sci-fi writer Isaac (6)
Starts with A, ends with VASIMOV→
63A
Suitable, as a unit in a bldg.? (3)
Starts with A, ends with TAPT→
64A
Tales of yore (4)
Starts with L, ends with ELORE→
65A
Join in marriage (5)
Starts with U, ends with EUNITE→
66A
Lo-___ graphics (3)
Starts with R, ends with SRES→
67A
One-named Grammy winner from Ireland (4)
Starts with E, ends with AENYA→
68A
___ Cottontail (5)
Starts with P, ends with RPETER→
Down
1D
Wife of Abraham, in the Bible (5)
Starts with S, ends with HSARAH→
2D
"You ___ right!" (5)
Starts with A, ends with OARESO→
3D
"Ridiculous!" (9)
Starts with I, ends with DITSABSURD→
4D
"I'm kidding!!," in "Wayne's World" (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNOT→
5D
Artist Henri de ___-Lautrec (8)
Starts with T, ends with ETOULOUSE→
6D
One who's rotten from the start (7)
Starts with B, ends with DBADSEED→
7D
Singer Grande, to fans (3)
Starts with A, ends with IARI→
8D
Loch ___ monster (4)
Starts with N, ends with SNESS→
9D
Opera great Enrico (6)
Starts with C, ends with OCARUSO→
10D
Sluglike "Star Wars" crime boss (5)
Starts with J, ends with AJABBA→
11D
On ___ (looking great, in slang) (5)
Starts with F, ends with KFLEEK→
12D
Colonial-era pirate captain (4)
Starts with K, ends with DKIDD→
17D
Mr. ___ (Dr Pepper competitor) (4)
Starts with P, ends with BPIBB→
19D
Orchestral woodwind (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOBOE→
22D
Be on the wane (3)
Starts with E, ends with BEBB→
25D
Crash-investigating org. (4)
Starts with N, ends with BNTSB→
26D
Turning point in W.W. II (4)
Starts with D, ends with YDDAY→
29D
When doubled, an African fly (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETSE→
30D
But, briefly (3)
Starts with T, ends with OTHO→
31D
Like a ripe strawberry (3)
Starts with R, ends with DRED→
33D
Re-election restriction (9)
Starts with T, ends with TTERMLIMIT→
34D
Many a Wordsworth poem (3)
Starts with O, ends with EODE→
35D
Pea holder (3)
Starts with P, ends with DPOD→
37D
Part of a barbecue rack (3)
Starts with R, ends with BRIB→
38D
Ernest in the Country Music Hall of Fame (4)
Starts with T, ends with BTUBB→
40D
Suddenly stops working, as an engine (8)
Starts with S, ends with PSEIZESUP→
41D
Gov. Tim ___, 2024 running mate (4)
Starts with W, ends with ZWALZ→
44D
Beyond the continental shelf, say (7)
Starts with D, ends with ADEEPSEA→
46D
Comic actor Van Dyke (4)
Starts with D, ends with KDICK→
47D
Lacking the capacity (6)
Starts with U, ends with EUNABLE→
48D
Prez before 10-Across (3)
Starts with D, ends with EDDE→
49D
"Deck the Halls" syllables (4)
Starts with F, ends with AFALA→
50D
Two-door auto (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECOUPE→
51D
Outings for foxhounds (5)
Starts with H, ends with SHUNTS→
53D
Show feelings onstage (5)
Starts with E, ends with EEMOTE→
54D
Capital of Delaware (5)
Starts with D, ends with RDOVER→
55D
Lift on the slopes (4)
Starts with T, ends with RTBAR→
56D
Like bright signs on the Las Vegas Strip (4)
Starts with N, ends with NNEON→
60D
Funny in a subtle way (3)
Starts with D, ends with YDRY→
62D
Suffix with Benedict or elephant (3)
Starts with I, ends with EINE→
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 December 15, 2025?+
76 clues: 36 Across and 40 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Jeff Jerome and Andrea Carla Michaels and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: ___ Nicholas (SAINT); Judge's seat, from the French (BANC); N.Y.C. airport (JFK).
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.
