NYT Crossword hints and answer for March 12, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across41
Down37
ConstructorJoe Marquez
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
Game point? (6)
Starts with A, ends with EARCADE→
7A
Settings for "Nurse Jackie" and "The Pitt," in brief (3)
Starts with E, ends with SERS→
10A
Mideast's Gulf of ___ (4)
Starts with S, ends with ZSUEZ→
14A
"Das Lied von der Erde" composer (6)
Starts with M, ends with RMAHLER→
15A
Camper's foldout (3)
Starts with C, ends with TCOT→
16A
Natural hairstyle (4)
Starts with A, ends with OAFRO→
17A
Celebrity supercouple of the 2000s (6)
Starts with B, ends with ABRAINA→
18A
Incredibly committed (8)
Starts with H, ends with EHARDCORE→
20A
Slowly, in scores (5)
Starts with L, ends with OLENTO→
21A
Second-most-populous city in the U.S. (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLOSAES→
22A
100 nanojoules (3)
Starts with E, ends with GERG→
23A
Citrus portmanteau (3)
Starts with T, ends with OTAO→
25A
Sticks around for a demo? (3)
Starts with T, ends with TTNT→
26A
Doraphobe's fear (3)
Starts with F, ends with RFUR→
29A
Bookings for a D.J. (6)
Starts with E, ends with SEVENTS→
32A
Did very well on the final, say (6)
Starts with G, ends with AGOTANA→
34A
Star of a three-time World Cup champion team (4)
Starts with P, ends with EPELE→
36A
Classic ’60s muscle car (3)
Starts with G, ends with OGTO→
37A
Rejoices (6)
Starts with E, ends with SEXULTS→
38A
Sultanate that once controlled Zanzibar (4)
Starts with O, ends with NOMAN→
39A
Stand for a portrait (5)
Starts with E, ends with LEASEL→
41A
Snippet (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCLIP→
42A
Slip-on or slide (6)
Starts with S, ends with LSANDAL→
44A
Hullabaloo (3)
Starts with A, ends with OADO→
45A
Collectible frames (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCELS→
46A
Rest period (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASIESTA→
47A
Get right down to business (6)
Starts with D, ends with NDIVEIN→
49A
Sports great Ernie known as "The Big Easy" (3)
Starts with E, ends with SELS→
52A
Half a score (3)
Starts with T, ends with NTEN→
53A
Work on a picture, perhaps (3)
Starts with A, ends with TACT→
56A
Some double-headed drums (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSNARES→
58A
Camper's craft (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECANOE→
60A
Turpitude (8)
Starts with P, ends with LPUREEVIL→
63A
Setting for "Quincy, M.E.," on 1970s-’80s TV (6)
Starts with M, ends with EMORGUE→
64A
Operating system developed at Bell Labs (4)
Starts with U, ends with XUNIX→
65A
Toeholds (3)
Starts with I, ends with SINS→
66A
Get positioned (6)
Starts with O, ends with TORIENT→
67A
Lush hair's quality (4)
Starts with B, ends with YBODY→
68A
Caribbean music genre (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASKA→
69A
Abundance (6)
Starts with W, ends with HWEALTH→
Down
1D
Saunter (5)
Starts with A, ends with EAMBLE→
2D
Like black opals vis-à-vis diamonds (5)
Starts with R, ends with RRARER→
3D
Move to pass, perhaps (11)
Starts with C, ends with SCHANGELANES→
4D
Touched down (4)
Starts with A, ends with TALIT→
5D
Symbolize (6)
Starts with D, ends with EDENOTE→
6D
"Folklore" or "Evermore," for Taylor Swift (3)
Starts with E, ends with AERA→
7D
Guitar pedal effect (4)
Starts with E, ends with OECHO→
8D
Comedic takedown (5)
Starts with R, ends with TROAST→
9D
Mad scientist in a 1964 Kubrick title (11)
Starts with S, ends with ESTRANGELOVE→
10D
Natural fluid containers (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSACS→
11D
What a drone might be mistaken for (3)
Starts with U, ends with OUFO→
12D
Carry the ball in volleyball, e.g. (3)
Starts with E, ends with RERR→
13D
Actress Kravitz (3)
Starts with Z, ends with EZOE→
19D
Step in rehab (5)
Starts with D, ends with XDETOX→
21D
"Whole ___ Red" (2020 Playboi Carti album) (5)
Starts with L, ends with ALOTTA→
24D
Activist/scholar known for her work in the prison abolition movement (11)
Starts with A, ends with SANGELADAVIS→
26D
Heavenly outcast … or a hint to something found three times in this puzzle (11)
Starts with F, ends with LFALLENANGEL→
28D
Barely speaks (5)
Starts with R, ends with SRASPS→
31D
"Such a shame" (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSOSAD→
33D
Stanley of "Conclave" (5)
Starts with T, ends with ITUCCI→
34D
Group surrounding a star (5)
Starts with P, ends with EPOSSE→
35D
Item in a drafts folder (5)
Starts with E, ends with LEMAIL→
40D
Text tweaks (5)
Starts with E, ends with SEDITS→
43D
Make right (5)
Starts with A, ends with EATONE→
48D
Cry for more (6)
Starts with E, ends with EENCORE→
51D
Hurricane or mudslide (5)
Starts with D, ends with KDRINK→
54D
Be important (5)
Starts with C, ends with TCOUNT→
55D
Things to bare (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTEETH→
57D
Disney heroine who builds her own palace (4)
Starts with E, ends with AELSA→
59D
Tchaikovsky's "Letter Scene," e.g. (4)
Starts with A, ends with AARIA→
60D
Trivia night locale (3)
Starts with P, ends with BPUB→
61D
Shout in a card game (3)
Starts with U, ends with OUNO→
63D
Do some lawn work (3)
Starts with M, ends with WMOW→
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 March 12, 2026?+
78 clues: 41 Across and 37 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Joe Marquez and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Game point? (ARCADE); Settings for "Nurse Jackie" and "The Pitt," in brief (ERS); Mideast's Gulf of ___ (SUEZ).
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.
