NYT Crossword hints and answer for December 8, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across39
Down39
ConstructorDan Kammann and Zhouqin Burnikel
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
Sir's counterpart (5)
Starts with M, ends with MMADAM→
6A
Folded Mexican snack (4)
Starts with T, ends with OTACO→
10A
Young chap (3)
Starts with L, ends with DLAD→
13A
"___ is where a guy gets stabbed in the back, and instead of dying, he sings": Robert Benchley (5)
Starts with O, ends with AOPERA→
14A
Sean of "The Lord of the Rings" (5)
Starts with A, ends with NASTIN→
16A
Chicken ___ king (3)
Starts with A, ends with AALA→
17A
Wyoming skiing mecca (11)
Starts with J, ends with EJACKSONHOLE→
19A
Female pig (3)
Starts with S, ends with WSOW→
20A
Gold, in Spanish (3)
Starts with O, ends with OORO→
21A
Dessert with icing (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECAKE→
22A
Motor City hoopster (6)
Starts with P, ends with NPISTON→
24A
Run out of clothes? (6)
Starts with S, ends with KSTREAK→
26A
Like an envelope that's ready to be sent (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSEALED→
28A
___ Major (constellation) (4)
Starts with U, ends with AURSA→
30A
"Enola Holmes" actress ___ Bobby Brown (6)
Starts with M, ends with EMILLIE→
32A
Bicycle shorts material (5)
Starts with L, ends with ALYCRA→
35A
Computer image (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSCAN→
37A
ID checkers at an airport (3)
Starts with T, ends with ATSA→
39A
Gallery-filled Big Apple neighborhood (4)
Starts with S, ends with OSOHO→
40A
41A
"Get outta here!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSCAT→
42A
Artificial colorant (3)
Starts with D, ends with EDYE→
43A
Half of a train track (4)
Starts with R, ends with LRAIL→
44A
"That's boring!" (5)
Starts with H, ends with MHOHUM→
45A
Starting point (6)
Starts with O, ends with NORIGIN→
48A
Grand ___ (achievement in baseball or tennis) (4)
Starts with S, ends with MSLAM→
50A
Hardest to find (6)
Starts with R, ends with TRAREST→
52A
"Let me clarify ..." (6)
Starts with I, ends with TIMEANT→
56A
Gesture suggesting "I see what you did there" (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSLYNOD→
58A
Top poker cards (4)
Starts with A, ends with SACES→
60A
Monarch at Versailles (3)
Starts with R, ends with IROI→
61A
Golfer's target ... or prize (3)
Starts with C, ends with PCUP→
62A
End successfully (11)
Starts with W, ends with LWORKOUTWELL→
65A
Comedian Wong (3)
Starts with A, ends with IALI→
66A
Medieval stringed instruments (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLUTES→
67A
"___, meenie, miney, mo" (5)
Starts with E, ends with EEENIE→
68A
Crunchy sandwich, for short (3)
Starts with B, ends with TBLT→
69A
Camp shelter (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTENT→
70A
Religious ceremonies (5)
Starts with R, ends with SRITES→
Down
1D
Magic charms (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMOJOS→
2D
Not together (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAPART→
3D
Interior design (5)
Starts with D, ends with RDECOR→
4D
Genesis boat (3)
Starts with A, ends with KARK→
5D
The eyes may have it (7)
Starts with M, ends with AMASCARA→
6D
Scuba gear (4)
Starts with T, ends with KTANK→
7D
Remnants of a volcanic spew (5)
Starts with A, ends with SASHES→
8D
Corp. exec overseeing engineers, say (3)
Starts with C, ends with OCTO→
9D
Stuff on an artist's palette (8)
Starts with O, ends with TOILPAINT→
10D
Eleventh-hour (9)
Starts with L, ends with HLASTDITCH→
11D
Potatoes, in Indian cooking (4)
Starts with A, ends with OALOO→
12D
From ___ to dusk (4)
Starts with D, ends with NDAWN→
15D
Actor Sam of "Jurassic Park" (5)
Starts with N, ends with LNEILL→
18D
Acorn droppers (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOAKS→
23D
Salt, in Paris (3)
Starts with S, ends with LSEL→
25D
Money across the Atlantic (4)
Starts with E, ends with OEURO→
27D
Messages on which you might be cc'd (6)
Starts with E, ends with SEMAILS→
29D
Iraqis and Iranians (6)
Starts with A, ends with SASIANS→
31D
Biblical brother of Jacob (4)
Starts with E, ends with UESAU→
32D
Psychedelic tab (3)
Starts with L, ends with DLSD→
33D
Toy on a string that's not a kite (4)
Starts with Y, ends with OYOYO→
34D
Center of a stone fruit (9)
Starts with C, ends with TCHERRYPIT→
36D
Film special effects, for short (3)
Starts with C, ends with ICGI→
38D
After-hours source of $$$ (3)
Starts with A, ends with MATM→
40D
Lost moisture (8)
Starts with D, ends with TDRIEDOUT→
41D
Nonspecific amount (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESOME→
44D
Pet that stores food in cheek pouches (7)
Starts with H, ends with RHAMSTER→
46D
Author Fleming (3)
Starts with I, ends with NIAN→
47D
What empty stomachs do (5)
Starts with G, ends with LGROWL→
49D
In ___ of (4)
Starts with L, ends with ULIEU→
51D
No longer available (5)
Starts with T, ends with NTAKEN→
53D
"There ___ enough hours in the day" (5)
Starts with A, ends with TARENT→
54D
"That's the truth!" (5)
Starts with N, ends with ENOLIE→
55D
Mosaic pieces (5)
Starts with T, ends with STILES→
56D
Covering over a wound (4)
Starts with S, ends with BSCAB→
57D
Pause in the action (4)
Starts with L, ends with LLULL→
59D
"It's gonna ___ you!" (4)
Starts with C, ends with TCOST→
64D
Early Chinese dynasty (3)
Starts with W, ends with IWEI→
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 8, 2025?+
78 clues: 39 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Dan Kammann and Zhouqin Burnikel and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Sir's counterpart (MADAM); Folded Mexican snack (TACO); Young chap (LAD).
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.
