NYT Crossword hints and answer for January 5, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across35
Down41
ConstructorLynn Lempel
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
6A
Volcanic coating that buried Pompeii (3)
Starts with A, ends with HASH→
9A
Angel's headgear (4)
Starts with H, ends with OHALO→
13A
Listlessness (5)
Starts with E, ends with IENNUI→
14A
Score like 5-5 or 10-10 (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETIE→
15A
Fruit-peeling gadget (5)
Starts with P, ends with RPARER→
16A
Meeting spot for a company's overseers (9)
Starts with B, ends with MBOARDROOM→
18A
Ventilated (5)
Starts with A, ends with DAIRED→
19A
Actor Reeves who plays John Wick (5)
Starts with K, ends with UKEANU→
20A
Clothing (6)
Starts with A, ends with EATTIRE→
21A
Wrestler-turned-actor with a mohawk (3)
Starts with M, ends with TMRT→
24A
1976 film with Robert De Niro as an alienated cabbie (10)
Starts with T, ends with RTAXIDRIVER→
26A
Lawyer, or a lawyer's advice (7)
Starts with C, ends with LCOUNSEL→
29A
Gloppy gunk (3)
Starts with G, ends with OGOO→
30A
Op-___ (newspaper pieces) (3)
Starts with E, ends with SEDS→
31A
Advantageous quality (5)
Starts with A, ends with TASSET→
32A
Aristocrat (5)
Starts with N, ends with ENOBLE→
34A
Enjoy a vacation day, say (15)
Starts with T, ends with KTAKEOFFFROMWORK→
40A
Reside (5)
Starts with D, ends with LDWELL→
41A
Burr who dueled with Hamilton (5)
Starts with A, ends with NAARON→
45A
One ___ time (3)
Starts with A, ends with AATA→
46A
Mark Twain, for Samuel Langhorne Clemens (7)
Starts with P, ends with EPENNAME→
48A
Bug killer that goes "smack!" (10)
Starts with F, ends with RFLYSWATTER→
51A
Losing general at Appomattox (3)
Starts with L, ends with ELEE→
52A
Relating to a son or daughter (6)
Starts with F, ends with LFILIAL→
53A
Fanny ___, central figure in Broadway's "Funny Girl" (5)
Starts with B, ends with EBRICE→
56A
Poet Dickinson (5)
Starts with E, ends with YEMILY→
57A
61A
Backpackers' shelters (5)
Starts with T, ends with STENTS→
62A
Write-___ (unlikely election winners) (3)
Starts with I, ends with SINS→
63A
Home with a dome (5)
Starts with I, ends with OIGLOO→
64A
Lumps of coal, for a snowman (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEYES→
65A
Understand (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESEE→
66A
Relinquished (5)
Starts with C, ends with DCEDED→
Down
1D
Spider's creation (3)
Starts with W, ends with BWEB→
2D
Peace promoter Yoko (3)
Starts with O, ends with OONO→
3D
Cell's messenger material (3)
Starts with R, ends with ARNA→
4D
Istanbul native (4)
Starts with T, ends with KTURK→
5D
Conceal (4)
Starts with H, ends with EHIDE→
6D
Lacking a key, in music (6)
Starts with A, ends with LATONAL→
7D
Crazy Horse's people (5)
Starts with S, ends with XSIOUX→
8D
Adjustable skirt feature (3)
Starts with H, ends with MHEM→
9D
Port-au-Prince's country (5)
Starts with H, ends with IHAITI→
10D
Get there (6)
Starts with A, ends with EARRIVE→
11D
Looked lasciviously (6)
Starts with L, ends with DLEERED→
12D
Commands (6)
Starts with O, ends with SORDERS→
15D
Police officer who monitors an assigned area (9)
Starts with P, ends with NPATROLMAN→
17D
Label as G or R, say (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERATE→
20D
Spicy marinade with chili peppers (5)
Starts with A, ends with OADOBO→
21D
Exam for a doctor-to-be (4)
Starts with M, ends with TMCAT→
22D
Parks honored in the Capitol's Statuary Hall (4)
Starts with R, ends with AROSA→
23D
Walrus's long tooth (4)
Starts with T, ends with KTUSK→
25D
Composer Stravinsky (4)
Starts with I, ends with RIGOR→
27D
Have to have (4)
Starts with N, ends with DNEED→
28D
Passengers getting an illicit free ride (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSTOWAWAYS→
32D
Org. with Patriot games (3)
Starts with N, ends with LNFL→
33D
Actor McGregor with a Golden Globe for "Fargo" (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEWAN→
35D
Pertaining to development in the womb (5)
Starts with F, ends with LFETAL→
36D
Opposite of hilly (4)
Starts with F, ends with TFLAT→
37D
Like some history or hygiene (4)
Starts with O, ends with LORAL→
38D
City surrounding Vatican City (4)
Starts with R, ends with EROME→
39D
On bended ___ (4)
Starts with K, ends with EKNEE→
42D
Overly refined (6)
Starts with E, ends with EEFFETE→
43D
"Yikes!," to a Brit (6)
Starts with B, ends with YBLIMEY→
44D
Reporter's attribution atop an article (6)
Starts with B, ends with EBYLINE→
47D
Rock's Carmen or Clapton (4)
Starts with E, ends with CERIC→
49D
Earthy deposits by a river (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSILTS→
50D
Steak similar to a porterhouse (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETBONE→
54D
Stylish (4)
Starts with C, ends with CCHIC→
55D
Margin (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEDGE→
57D
"___ better to have loved and lost ..." (3)
Starts with T, ends with STIS→
59D
Misfortune (3)
Starts with W, ends with EWOE→
60D
Silent approval (3)
Starts with N, ends with DNOD→
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 January 5, 2026?+
76 clues: 35 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Lynn Lempel and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Value (WORTH); Volcanic coating that buried Pompeii (ASH); Angel's headgear (HALO).
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.
