NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 21, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues74
Across39
Down35
ConstructorRebecca Goldstein
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
Teacher's pet, say, in slang (6)
Starts with K, ends with PKISSUP→
7A
Cumming who won a Tony for "Cabaret" (4)
Starts with A, ends with NALAN→
11A
White lie (3)
Starts with F, ends with BFIB→
14A
Not well known (6)
Starts with A, ends with EARCANE→
15A
Driving range? (4)
Starts with L, ends with ELANE→
16A
N.H.L.'s Mammoth, on scoreboards (3)
Starts with U, ends with AUTA→
17A
Driver's Ed: B (11)
Starts with P, ends with EPARKINGFINE→
19A
Alt tab? (3)
Starts with L, ends with DLSD→
20A
Sporty vehicles, in brief (4)
Starts with U, ends with SUTES→
21A
Reunion attendee, for short (4)
Starts with G, ends with DGRAD→
22A
Blunts (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDULLS→
24A
Crop whose trade contributed to the Opium Wars (3)
Starts with T, ends with ATEA→
25A
Parisian permission (3)
Starts with O, ends with IOUI→
26A
Tender bend-er (7)
Starts with B, ends with EBUMKNEE→
28A
Gym: B+ (13)
Starts with M, ends with EMOVINGAVERAGE→
31A
___ faire (festival with jousting) (3)
Starts with R, ends with NREN→
32A
Life phase, informally (3)
Starts with E, ends with AERA→
33A
In the thick of (4)
Starts with A, ends with DAMID→
34A
Had dinner at home (5)
Starts with A, ends with NATEIN→
37A
Great sorrow (3)
Starts with W, ends with EWOE→
38A
Nutrition sources (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDIETS→
39A
___ saltado (Peruvian stir-fry dish) (4)
Starts with L, ends with OLOMO→
40A
Tavern (3)
Starts with B, ends with RBAR→
41A
Baby boy (3)
Starts with S, ends with NSON→
42A
Wood shop: A (13)
Starts with B, ends with RBUILDINGSUPER→
46A
Have the same opinion about (7)
Starts with A, ends with NAGREEON→
47A
Chemical suffix that indicates a double bond (3)
Starts with E, ends with EENE→
48A
"A Nightmare on ___ Street" (3)
Starts with E, ends with MELM→
51A
Scene that may begin "Follow that car!" (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECHASE→
52A
Like a tennis player who didn't even swing, maybe (4)
Starts with A, ends with DACED→
54A
Sneaker brand (4)
Starts with A, ends with AAVIA→
55A
Province with Niagara Falls: Abbr. (3)
Starts with O, ends with TONT→
56A
History: A+ (11)
Starts with P, ends with TPASTPERFECT→
59A
Look back on with regret (3)
Starts with R, ends with ERUE→
60A
At any point (4)
Starts with E, ends with REVER→
61A
Stephen King's telekinetic teen of horror (6)
Starts with C, ends with ECARRIE→
62A
Figures in some rumored landings, for short (3)
Starts with E, ends with SETS→
63A
Short Instagram posting (4)
Starts with R, ends with LREEL→
64A
Difficult, as a problem (6)
Starts with K, ends with YKNOTTY→
Down
1D
Wrecked (5)
Starts with K, ends with TKAPUT→
2D
Like a passionate solver discovering a filled-in airline magazine crossword, say (5)
Starts with I, ends with EIRATE→
3D
Edvard Munch painting, with "The" (6)
Starts with S, ends with MSCREAM→
4D
Fifth Avenue retailer (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSAKS→
6D
Bird that gives pebbles as a courtship gesture (7)
Starts with P, ends with NPENGUIN→
7D
Bravo preceder (4)
Starts with A, ends with AALFA→
8D
Made public (8)
Starts with L, ends with ELAIDBARE→
9D
Actress Dowd of "The Handmaid's Tale" (3)
Starts with A, ends with NANN→
10D
"Can I help?" (6)
Starts with N, ends with ENEEDME→
11D
First and last, say (8)
Starts with F, ends with EFULLNAME→
12D
"That checks out" (8)
Starts with I, ends with TITSLEGIT→
13D
Rotten apples (8)
Starts with B, ends with SBADSEEDS→
18D
Sly look, say (4)
Starts with G, ends with NGRIN→
23D
Kyiv's country (7)
Starts with U, ends with EUKRAINE→
25D
Bake-off need (4)
Starts with O, ends with NOVEN→
27D
Sch. that's home to Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village (3)
Starts with U, ends with AUVA→
29D
Birds with a Baltimore species (7)
Starts with O, ends with SORIOLES→
30D
Physicist Ohm (5)
Starts with G, ends with GGEORG→
34D
White tuna (8)
Starts with A, ends with EALBACORE→
35D
One that's hard to crack (8)
Starts with T, ends with TTOUGHNUT→
36D
Airline headquartered in Dubai (8)
Starts with E, ends with SEMIRATES→
37D
"Are you ready for this?" (8)
Starts with W, ends with EWANNASEE→
38D
Fabulous, in slang (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDOPE→
40D
Info that might include "Originally from ..." (3)
Starts with B, ends with OBIO→
41D
Open-air part of a cruise ship (7)
Starts with S, ends with KSUNDECK→
43D
More profound (6)
Starts with D, ends with RDEEPER→
44D
Soak slowly (4)
Starts with S, ends with PSEEP→
45D
Backslide (6)
Starts with R, ends with TREVERT→
49D
Allowed (5)
Starts with L, ends with TLICIT→
50D
Fellow crew member (5)
Starts with M, ends with YMATEY→
53D
Shortcut key (4)
Starts with C, ends with LCTRL→
54D
Musical lead-in to beat (4)
Starts with A, ends with OAFRO→
57D
Blvd. crosser (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAVE→
58D
Tried for office (3)
Starts with R, ends with NRAN→
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 October 21, 2026?+
74 clues: 39 Across and 35 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Rebecca Goldstein and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Teacher's pet, say, in slang (KISSUP); Cumming who won a Tony for "Cabaret" (ALAN); White lie (FIB).
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.
