NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 23, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues62
Across31
Down31
ConstructorKameron Austin Collins
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
They might be settled atop stools (7)
Starts with B, ends with SBARBETS→
8A
Shell, say (5)
Starts with A, ends with RARMOR→
13A
Places to put fliers (8)
Starts with A, ends with SAVIARIES→
15A
Surgical specialty, informally (5)
Starts with N, ends with ONEURO→
16A
A boxer's might knock you out (9)
Starts with D, ends with HDOGBREATH→
18A
Substitute for "etc." (5)
Starts with Y, ends with AYADDA→
19A
Begrudges (6)
Starts with E, ends with SENVIES→
20A
Old auto company based in Lansing, Mich. (3)
Starts with R, ends with OREO→
22A
Jazz drummer DeRosa (4)
Starts with C, ends with MCLEM→
23A
One of the seven depicted in the 1995 thriller "Se7en" (5)
Starts with G, ends with DGREED→
24A
Daytime regulars (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSOAPSTARS→
26A
What some prisoners earn, in brief (4)
Starts with G, ends with SGEDS→
27A
Old black-and-white police autos, to Brits (9)
Starts with P, ends with SPANDACARS→
28A
___ weekend (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASPA→
29A
Walk on water? (9)
Starts with G, ends with KGANGPLANK→
30A
Top that screams "Look at me!" (9)
Starts with L, ends with TLOUDSHIRT→
31A
Clay-and-calcium-carbonate mix used in cement making (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMARLSTONE→
32A
"Lovely!" (3)
Starts with F, ends with BFAB→
35A
Chess puzzle challenge, maybe (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMATEINONE→
36A
Make do (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECOPE→
37A
Many an epithet (9)
Starts with D, ends with EDIRTYNAME→
38A
Common con game (5)
Starts with M, ends with EMONTE→
39A
Petite ___ (certain French partner) (4)
Starts with A, ends with EAMIE→
40A
Epithet lead-in (3)
Starts with A, ends with AAKA→
41A
Bit of back-and-forth (6)
Starts with B, ends with RBANTER→
42A
Farrow with a Pulitzer for his investigative journalism (5)
Starts with R, ends with NRONAN→
44A
Eerie substance faked in 19th-century ghost hoaxes (9)
Starts with E, ends with MECTOPLASM→
46A
Bygone leaders (5)
Starts with T, ends with STSARS→
47A
Tourist nickname for a Southern mecca, to the chagrin of many locals (8)
Starts with H, ends with AHOTLANTA→
48A
Until, in Uruguay (5)
Starts with H, ends with AHASTA→
49A
Destination for wagons, once (7)
Starts with T, ends with TTHEWEST→
Down
1D
No-goodniks (7)
Starts with B, ends with SBADEGGS→
2D
Sales job that Forbes magazine once dubbed "the original side hustle," informally (7)
Starts with A, ends with PAVONREP→
3D
Ancient collection of Hindu hymns (7)
Starts with R, ends with ARIGVEDA→
4D
Pampers (6)
Starts with B, ends with SBABIES→
5D
Handled something poorly, say (5)
Starts with E, ends with DERRED→
6D
Gets even with? (4)
Starts with T, ends with STIES→
7D
Tac preceder (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASEA→
8D
At least one (3)
Starts with A, ends with YANY→
9D
Substance that undergoes change, as in a lab (8)
Starts with R, ends with TREACTANT→
10D
Magpie lookalike with black-and-white plumage (7)
Starts with M, ends with KMUDLARK→
11D
Bosses (around) (6)
Starts with O, ends with SORDERS→
12D
Gads about (5)
Starts with R, ends with SROAMS→
14D
Figurative ability to withstand almost anything (13)
Starts with S, ends with HSTRONGSTOMACH→
17D
Canal blocker? (9)
Starts with H, ends with EHEADPHONE→
21D
Milky and iridescent (7)
Starts with O, ends with EOPALINE→
24D
Lizard predator of Africa (9)
Starts with S, ends with ESANDSNAKE→
25D
Close call (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESCARE→
27D
Swedish American model Porizkova (7)
Starts with P, ends with APAULINA→
29D
Edward who wrote and illustrated "The Gashlycrumb Tinies" (5)
Starts with G, ends with YGOREY→
30D
Foam designs, perhaps (8)
Starts with L, ends with TLATTEART→
31D
Berth places (7)
Starts with M, ends with SMARINAS→
32D
19th-century German novelist Theodor (7)
Starts with F, ends with EFONTANE→
33D
Stressors for some H.S. seniors (7)
Starts with A, ends with SAPTESTS→
34D
Accessory on a pub counter (7)
Starts with B, ends with TBEERMAT→
35D
Brunch beverage (6)
Starts with M, ends with AMIMOSA→
36D
Standard 1L course, informally (6)
Starts with C, ends with WCONLAW→
37D
Title for some fictional lords (5)
Starts with D, ends with HDARTH→
38D
Sugar ___ (5)
Starts with M, ends with EMAPLE→
41D
Choice for the undecided (4)
Starts with B, ends with HBOTH→
43D
Org. with a "Cryptographic Support Services" page on its website (3)
Starts with N, ends with ANSA→
45D
Little squirt (3)
Starts with T, ends with TTOT→
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 23, 2026?+
62 clues: 31 Across and 31 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Kameron Austin Collins and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: They might be settled atop stools (BARBETS); Shell, say (ARMOR); Places to put fliers (AVIARIES).
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.
