NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 14, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues79
Across37
Down42
ConstructorRebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner
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
Do a spit take? (4)
Starts with S, ends with BSWAB→
5A
Sea creature whose name doesn't rhyme with 1-Across, weirdly (4)
Starts with C, ends with BCRAB→
9A
Bloating relief brand (4)
Starts with G, ends with XGASX→
13A
"I've made a huge mistake!" (4)
Starts with O, ends with OOHNO→
14A
Dance during which newlyweds might be lifted in chairs (4)
Starts with H, ends with AHORA→
15A
Spin instructor? (6)
Starts with P, ends with UPRGURU→
17A
Color-changing fad jewelry ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters? (9)
Starts with M, ends with SMOODRINGS→
19A
Colombian cakes that have been around since pre-Columbian times (6)
Starts with A, ends with SAREPAS→
20A
Hit single from the 1983 "Flashdance" soundtrack (6)
Starts with M, ends with CMANIAC→
21A
Man's name that's also a suffix (3)
Starts with I, ends with NIAN→
23A
Storm center (3)
Starts with E, ends with EEYE→
24A
Heroes' journeys, say ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters? (13)
Starts with C, ends with SCHARACTERARCS→
29A
___ in comparison (4)
Starts with P, ends with EPALE→
32A
Starter starter? (3)
Starts with N, ends with NNON→
33A
Barnard graduate, e.g. (6)
Starts with A, ends with AALUMNA→
34A
Long-running British record label (3)
Starts with E, ends with IEMI→
35A
Canine that bites (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTOOTH→
37A
Actress Rapace of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (5)
Starts with N, ends with INOOMI→
39A
Visual aids on scatter plots ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters? (16)
Starts with R, ends with SREGRESSIONCURVES→
43A
Not hot or cool (5)
Starts with U, ends with PUNHIP→
44A
Debase oneself (5)
Starts with S, ends with PSTOOP→
45A
Nickname that omits -anna (3)
Starts with A, ends with IARI→
46A
What might be used to connect evidence on a detective's corkboard (6)
Starts with S, ends with GSTRING→
49A
Go wrong (3)
Starts with E, ends with RERR→
50A
Pot leaves? (4)
Starts with T, ends with STEAS→
51A
Some painting in a parking lot ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters? (13)
Starts with D, ends with SDIVIDINGLINES→
54A
Suffix with legal (3)
Starts with E, ends with EESE→
55A
Star sign? (3)
Starts with C, ends with ECUE→
56A
"Come on, help me out" (6)
Starts with B, ends with LBEAPAL→
60A
Exposed (6)
Starts with A, ends with KATRISK→
63A
Awkwardly lanky ... or a description of this answer's shaded letters? (9)
Starts with A, ends with SALLELBOWS→
66A
"I Dreamed a Dream" musical, familiarly (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLESMIS→
67A
Genuine (4)
Starts with R, ends with LREAL→
68A
Where to get a shelf off the shelf (4)
Starts with I, ends with AIKEA→
69A
Breather (4)
Starts with R, ends with TREST→
70A
Certain blue note (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSEXT→
71A
Fit snugly (in) (4)
Starts with N, ends with TNEST→
Down
1D
2010s documentary trilogy about training for a very difficult wine exam (4)
Starts with S, ends with MSOMM→
2D
"Hold your horses!" (4)
Starts with W, ends with AWHOA→
3D
Ghost writer? (4)
Starts with A, ends with NANON→
4D
Close-fitting part of a dress (6)
Starts with B, ends with EBODICE→
5D
Some Mexican Americans (8)
Starts with C, ends with SCHICANOS→
6D
Actor/director Howard (3)
Starts with R, ends with NRON→
7D
Home to Los Glaciares National Park: Abbr. (3)
Starts with A, ends with GARG→
8D
Word with cable or training (5)
Starts with B, ends with CBASIC→
9D
Sound from an annoyed samoyed (3)
Starts with G, ends with RGRR→
10D
Time of one's life (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAGE→
11D
Starbursts? (10)
Starts with S, ends with ESUPERNOVAE→
12D
Bit of equipment in a dentist's office (10)
Starts with X, ends with AXRAYCAMERA→
15D
Assembly of experts (5)
Starts with P, ends with LPANEL→
16D
Manipulates (4)
Starts with U, ends with SUSES→
18D
When doubled, zealous (3)
Starts with R, ends with HRAH→
22D
One-time connection (3)
Starts with A, ends with AATA→
25D
Australian hoppers, for short (4)
Starts with R, ends with SROOS→
26D
Nay sayers (5)
Starts with A, ends with SANTIS→
27D
Anticipatory events, collectively (5)
Starts with R, ends with PRUNUP→
28D
Cherubic archer (4)
Starts with A, ends with RAMOR→
29D
Country where potatoes originated (4)
Starts with P, ends with UPERU→
30D
"Preach!" (10)
Starts with A, ends with RAMENSISTER→
31D
Playful poetry (10)
Starts with L, ends with ELIGHTVERSE→
35D
Lukewarm (5)
Starts with T, ends with DTEPID→
36D
Stay there! (5)
Starts with H, ends with LHOTEL→
38D
Egyptian deity with a reduplicative name (4)
Starts with I, ends with SISIS→
40D
Reduplicative nickname in pop music (4)
Starts with R, ends with IRIRI→
41D
Sushi seaweed (4)
Starts with N, ends with INORI→
42D
Midwestern agricultural swath (8)
Starts with C, ends with TCORNBELT→
47D
Fleetwood Mac vocalist Stevie (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNICKS→
48D
Creature that stampeded in "The Lion King" (3)
Starts with G, ends with UGNU→
50D
Where to place personal items before walking through a scanner (6)
Starts with T, ends with NTSABIN→
51D
"You're on!" (4)
Starts with D, ends with LDEAL→
52D
Settings on a bike (5)
Starts with G, ends with SGEARS→
53D
Prey for an osprey (3)
Starts with E, ends with LEEL→
57D
Give the finger? (4)
Starts with P, ends with EPOKE→
58D
Floors (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAWES→
59D
Exam whose score can't be argued, ironically (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLSAT→
61D
Quick chats? (3)
Starts with I, ends with SIMS→
62D
"If you can't say something good about someone, ___ right here by me": Alice Roosevelt Longworth (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSIT→
64D
Greta of "Past Lives" (3)
Starts with L, ends with ELEE→
65D
Hardly stringent (3)
Starts with L, ends with XLAX→
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 May 14, 2025?+
79 clues: 37 Across and 42 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Rebecca Goldstein and Adam Wagner and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Do a spit take? (SWAB); Sea creature whose name doesn't rhyme with 1-Across, weirdly (CRAB); Bloating relief brand (GASX).
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.
