NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 3, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues138
Across64
Down74
TitleWhat Are the Odds?
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
First person, in Austria (3)
Starts with I, ends with HICH→
4A
Pressing activity, for short? (3)
Starts with C, ends with RCPR→
7A
Cleared to proceed (4)
Starts with O, ends with DOKED→
11A
Perched on (7)
Starts with S, ends with PSATATOP→
18A
Place for pigs to wallow (7)
Starts with M, ends with EMUDHOLE→
20A
Shawarma wrap (4)
Starts with P, ends with APITA→
21A
"I'm here to learn" (7)
Starts with T, ends with ETEACHME→
22A
In sync (7)
Starts with A, ends with DATTUNED→
23A
Moisture barrier supplies (13)
Starts with P, ends with SPLASTICSHEETS→
26A
23-Across, oddly? (10)
Starts with G, ends with NGIVESADARN→
28A
Vert. counterpart (3)
Starts with H, ends with RHOR→
29A
Geological layers (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASTRATA→
30A
They got the votes (3)
Starts with I, ends with SINS→
31A
Saint Barthélemy, par exemple (3)
Starts with I, ends with EILE→
32A
Sugar suffix (3)
Starts with O, ends with EOSE→
34A
Father of Deimos (4)
Starts with A, ends with SARES→
35A
A hard job (10)
Starts with N, ends with KNOEASYTASK→
40A
35-Across, oddly? (10)
Starts with S, ends with SSTICKYPADS→
43A
Catch in a sting (6)
Starts with E, ends with PENTRAP→
44A
Cleveland-to-Akron dir. (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESSE→
45A
Ryder of "Stranger Things" (6)
Starts with W, ends with AWINONA→
46A
Office memo starter (4)
Starts with I, ends with EINRE→
48A
Leprechaun's land (4)
Starts with E, ends with NERIN→
50A
Conflict-averse (7)
Starts with N, ends with ANODRAMA→
55A
Fictional diary writer (12)
Starts with B, ends with SBRIDGETJONES→
60A
55-Across, oddly? (8)
Starts with L, ends with TLOWDIGIT→
61A
A as in Austria (3)
Starts with E, ends with NEIN→
62A
Lock lips, in London (4)
Starts with S, ends with GSNOG→
63A
Drive-___ menu (4)
Starts with T, ends with UTHRU→
65A
Like the best bets (6)
Starts with S, ends with TSAFEST→
66A
Abandoned (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLEFT→
68A
Off-center (4)
Starts with A, ends with YAWRY→
70A
Time gone by (4)
Starts with Y, ends with EYORE→
72A
Ending with the name Ann or Nan (4)
Starts with E, ends with EETTE→
73A
"Reason" given in a parental "explanation" (6)
Starts with I, ends with OISAYSO→
76A
Spots for grazing (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLEAS→
78A
Pond scum, e.g. (4)
Starts with F, ends with MFILM→
80A
Craven behind the camera (3)
Starts with W, ends with SWES→
81A
"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" author (8)
Starts with K, ends with YKENKESEY→
83A
81-Across, oddly? (12)
Starts with C, ends with TCHILDSUPPORT→
87A
Political understanding (7)
Starts with E, ends with EENTENTE→
88A
___ Ed (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPHYS→
89A
Book before Nehemiah (4)
Starts with E, ends with AEZRA→
90A
Boot camp shout (6)
Starts with T, ends with TTENHUT→
92A
Stanford and Cal joined it in 2024 (3)
Starts with A, ends with CACC→
95A
From the heart, in a way (6)
Starts with A, ends with LAORTAL→
99A
Conan and others (10)
Starts with B, ends with SBARBARIANS→
103A
99-Across, oddly? (10)
Starts with T, ends with ETHINKPIECE→
105A
"Essays of ___" (19th-century collection) (4)
Starts with E, ends with AELIA→
106A
Summer hours in N.Y.C. (3)
Starts with E, ends with TEDT→
107A
You smelt it! (3)
Starts with O, ends with EORE→
108A
Inits. fittingly filling the blanks of Obam_ _ _re (3)
Starts with A, ends with AACA→
109A
Luxor Temple deity (6)
Starts with A, ends with AAMONRA→
112A
Take an ax to (3)
Starts with H, ends with WHEW→
114A
Client's sales agent, in brief (10)
Starts with A, ends with PACCOUNTREP→
118A
114-Across, oddly? (13)
Starts with N, ends with TNOTQUITERIGHT→
121A
Unspoken set of rules between dudes (7)
Starts with B, ends with EBROCODE→
122A
N next to the gearshift (7)
Starts with N, ends with LNEUTRAL→
123A
Ozzy Osbourne's "___, I'm Coming Home" (4)
Starts with M, ends with AMAMA→
124A
More dimwitted (7)
Starts with O, ends with ROBTUSER→
125A
Make more appealing, as something otherwise plain (7)
Starts with D, ends with PDRESSUP→
126A
"Glad that's over!" (4)
Starts with P, ends with WPHEW→
127A
Spot for charity, say, in brief (3)
Starts with P, ends with APSA→
128A
Newsroom staffers, for short (3)
Starts with E, ends with SEDS→
Down
1D
"Just picture this!" (7)
Starts with I, ends with EIMAGINE→
2D
Rudely interrupt, as a dance partner (7)
Starts with C, ends with NCUTINON→
3D
Man cave fixture (7)
Starts with H, ends with THDTVSET→
4D
Snow jobs (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCONS→
5D
Heartfelt ask (4)
Starts with P, ends with APLEA→
6D
Website with an alien logo (6)
Starts with R, ends with TREDDIT→
7D
Treat badly, in a way (7)
Starts with O, ends with SOPPRESS→
8D
Potter's furnace (4)
Starts with K, ends with NKILN→
9D
Uber ride info, informally (3)
Starts with E, ends with AETA→
10D
Small amount in the kitchen (4)
Starts with D, ends with HDASH→
11D
Adds with a spoon, say (7)
Starts with S, ends with NSTIRSIN→
12D
Org. for J. Robert Oppenheimer (3)
Starts with A, ends with CAEC→
13D
U.S.S.R. news source (4)
Starts with T, ends with STASS→
14D
Zwei quadrupled (4)
Starts with A, ends with TACHT→
15D
What one might take or beat (6)
Starts with T, ends with PTHERAP→
16D
World Golf Hall-of-Famer Mark (6)
Starts with O, ends with AOMEARA→
17D
Caressed (6)
Starts with P, ends with DPETTED→
19D
Sector of a color wheel (3)
Starts with H, ends with EHUE→
24D
"Yer darn ___!" (6)
Starts with T, ends with NTOOTIN→
25D
Pert blurt (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSASS→
27D
Cry often accompanied by a sigh (4)
Starts with A, ends with SALAS→
33D
Cut-rate, in brand names (5)
Starts with E, ends with OECONO→
36D
Parched (4)
Starts with A, ends with DARID→
37D
Named names (4)
Starts with S, ends with GSANG→
38D
Belgian battle site in W.W. I (5)
Starts with Y, ends with SYPRES→
39D
"Neato!" (4)
Starts with K, ends with NKEEN→
40D
Sounding like taffeta, say (6)
Starts with S, ends with YSWISHY→
41D
More than suspects (5)
Starts with K, ends with SKNOWS→
42D
When tripled, "You get the picture" (5)
Starts with Y, ends with AYADDA→
47D
Sicilian spewer (4)
Starts with E, ends with AETNA→
49D
Part of A.A.R.P.: Abbr. (3)
Starts with R, ends with TRET→
51D
Loaded (with) (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERIFE→
52D
When teething might end (6)
Starts with A, ends with OAGETWO→
53D
Produce aisle device (6)
Starts with M, ends with RMISTER→
56D
Chewy chocolate candy brand (6)
Starts with R, ends with NRIESEN→
57D
One sporting a onesie (6)
Starts with I, ends with TINFANT→
58D
Loose-cheeked, as a mastiff (5)
Starts with J, ends with YJOWLY→
59D
Fantastic beast (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOGRE→
60D
Jarringly sensational (5)
Starts with L, ends with DLURID→
64D
"u slay me" (4)
Starts with R, ends with LROFL→
67D
Day care charge (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETYKE→
69D
Blue blood vessels? (6)
Starts with Y, ends with SYACHTS→
71D
"What ___ can I say?" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EELSE→
74D
German actress Berger with a career spanning eight decades (5)
Starts with S, ends with ASENTA→
75D
Big name in blenders (5)
Starts with O, ends with ROSTER→
77D
Reluctant to mingle, say (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSHY→
79D
Classic elevator tunes (5)
Starts with M, ends with KMUZAK→
82D
Start of a choosing rhyme (5)
Starts with E, ends with EEENIE→
84D
"The time ___ hand" (4)
Starts with I, ends with TISAT→
85D
Stage item (4)
Starts with P, ends with PPROP→
86D
___-mutuel betting (4)
Starts with P, ends with IPARI→
88D
Kick starter? (6)
Starts with P, ends with RPUNTER→
91D
Didn't go it alone, say (7)
Starts with H, ends with PHADHELP→
93D
One of the so-called Five Civilized Tribes (7)
Starts with C, ends with WCHOCTAW→
94D
Magazine fig. (4)
Starts with C, ends with CCIRC→
96D
Fragrant garden hybrid (7)
Starts with T, ends with ETEAROSE→
97D
Gave consent (7)
Starts with A, ends with DACCEDED→
98D
The lords in "The 12 Days of Christmas," e.g. (7)
Starts with L, ends with SLEAPERS→
99D
Noggin (4)
Starts with B, ends with NBEAN→
100D
Vegan milk source (6)
Starts with A, ends with DALMOND→
101D
Mob scene extra (6)
Starts with R, ends with RRIOTER→
102D
French financial institution (6)
Starts with B, ends with EBANQUE→
104D
Jazz subgenre for Wynton Marsalis (6)
Starts with N, ends with PNEOBOP→
110D
Daily grinds (4)
Starts with R, ends with SRUTS→
111D
Puts on (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAIRS→
113D
Chicken (out) (4)
Starts with W, ends with PWIMP→
114D
"I'm in such a fix" (4)
Starts with A, ends with EAHME→
115D
Metro regions, informally (4)
Starts with U, ends with SURBS→
116D
___ bene (4)
Starts with N, ends with ANOTA→
117D
The Horned Frogs of Ft. Worth (3)
Starts with T, ends with UTCU→
119D
19th of 24 (3)
Starts with T, ends with UTAU→
120D
"Why, why, why?!" (3)
Starts with G, ends with HGAH→
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 3, 2026?+
138 clues: 64 Across and 74 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Mark Diehl and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: First person, in Austria (ICH); Pressing activity, for short? (CPR); Cleared to proceed (OKED).
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.
