NYT Crossword hints and answer for April 12, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues136
Across63
Down73
TitleInitial Thoughts
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
Words ___ Friends (4)
Starts with W, ends with HWITH→
5A
Dunderheads (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDOLTS→
10A
Starting point of Diana Nyad's 2013 swim to Florida (4)
Starts with C, ends with ACUBA→
14A
Reduce to a pulp (4)
Starts with M, ends with HMASH→
18A
Actress ___ Grace Moretz (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECHLOE→
19A
"The game's ___": Henry V (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAFOOT→
20A
Mystery writer? (4)
Starts with A, ends with NANON→
21A
Soothing succulent (4)
Starts with A, ends with EALOE→
22A
HOT woman worth fighting for? (11)
Starts with H, ends with YHELENOFTROY→
24A
Throwing weapon known in Japanese as a shuriken (9)
Starts with N, ends with RNINJASTAR→
26A
2010-12's ___ Spring (4)
Starts with A, ends with BARAB→
27A
Coronary insert (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSTENT→
28A
GOT in the ballpark? (10)
Starts with G, ends with EGIVEORTAKE→
29A
Gomez of "Only Murders in the Building" (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASELENA→
31A
Under, poetically (5)
Starts with N, ends with HNEATH→
34A
Music to a comedian's ears (5)
Starts with L, ends with HLAUGH→
36A
Some 1960s-style protests (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLIEINS→
39A
Contents of a black-and-white pod (5)
Starts with O, ends with SORCAS→
43A
BOB Dylan album? (14)
Starts with B, ends with EBLONDEONBLONDE→
47A
Impossible to read, perhaps (6)
Starts with I, ends with EINCODE→
48A
Word before cut or class (3)
Starts with L, ends with WLOW→
49A
Fragrant compound (5)
Starts with E, ends with RESTER→
50A
"It's ___. Do you know where your children are?" (old P.S.A.) (5)
Starts with T, ends with MTENPM→
52A
Butcher's cut (4)
Starts with L, ends with NLOIN→
53A
Takes a little off (5)
Starts with T, ends with STRIMS→
55A
Time's 2023 Person of the Year (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSWIFT→
58A
A.I.-powered video hoaxes (9)
Starts with D, ends with SDEEPFAKES→
60A
In ___ (4)
Starts with S, ends with USITU→
61A
Portuguese wine (7)
Starts with M, ends with AMADEIRA→
63A
Put out again (7)
Starts with R, ends with EREISSUE→
64A
MOB wives? (15)
Starts with M, ends with SMAILORDERBRIDES→
68A
Casino supervisor (7)
Starts with P, ends with SPITBOSS→
71A
Surround (7)
Starts with E, ends with EENCLOSE→
72A
Poker in the Olympics? (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEPEE→
76A
How an urgent text may be written (9)
Starts with I, ends with SINALLCAPS→
79A
Affect emotionally (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTOUCH→
80A
Carne ___ (5)
Starts with A, ends with AASADA→
81A
Word on either side of "à" (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETETE→
82A
Org. founded to fund foreign projects (5)
Starts with U, ends with DUSAID→
84A
Vapes, familiarly (5)
Starts with E, ends with SECIGS→
86A
King's title, in brief (3)
Starts with R, ends with VREV→
87A
Turkish summit (6)
Starts with A, ends with TARARAT→
89A
SOAP film? (14)
Starts with S, ends with ESNAKESONAPLANE→
93A
Alternative to a Les Paul, for short (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSTRAT→
94A
Dad's deflection (6)
Starts with A, ends with MASKMOM→
95A
One of the seven deadly sins (5)
Starts with G, ends with DGREED→
96A
Vegetables rarely cut with a knife (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPEAS→
98A
Switch positions (5)
Starts with O, ends with FONOFF→
101A
Washington or Berlin (6)
Starts with I, ends with GIRVING→
104A
KID napper's demand? (10)
Starts with K, ends with NKEEPITDOWN→
109A
Loses emotional control, in gamer-speak (5)
Starts with T, ends with STILTS→
111A
Socialite Sedgwick, the supposed inspiration for Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEDIE→
112A
Winning country at the 2022 World Cup (9)
Starts with A, ends with AARGENTINA→
113A
THE big game? (11)
Starts with T, ends with MTEXASHOLDEM→
115A
"You're full of baloney!" (4)
Starts with L, ends with RLIAR→
116A
"Right on, man" (4)
Starts with I, ends with GIDIG→
117A
"Baywatch" actress Eleniak (5)
Starts with E, ends with AERIKA→
118A
Breathers (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLULLS→
120A
Reference (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECITE→
121A
Fall perennial (5)
Starts with A, ends with RASTER→
122A
Primatologists' subjects (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAPES→
Down
1D
One of a reporter's W's (5)
Starts with W, ends with EWHERE→
2D
Line of latitude? (10)
Starts with I, ends with TILLALLOWIT→
3D
Squishy part of a cat's paw, cutesily (7)
Starts with T, ends with NTOEBEAN→
4D
Brooding sort (3)
Starts with H, ends with NHEN→
6D
Frequently (5)
Starts with O, ends with NOFTEN→
7D
2025 biography subtitled "The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live" (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELORNE→
8D
Nickname for the 6'9" Dallas Cowboys great Ed Jones (7)
Starts with T, ends with LTOOTALL→
9D
What a mess (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSTY→
10D
Kid's repeated request (4)
Starts with C, ends with ICANI→
11D
Part of U.C.L.A.: Abbr. (4)
Starts with U, ends with VUNIV→
12D
Idiot mistakes (6)
Starts with B, ends with SBONERS→
13D
Pear variety (5)
Starts with A, ends with UANJOU→
14D
Dazzling displays of skill (13)
Starts with M, ends with SMASTERCLASSES→
15D
Utah ski resort (4)
Starts with A, ends with AALTA→
16D
Linger in the bath (4)
Starts with S, ends with KSOAK→
17D
Roll call response (4)
Starts with H, ends with EHERE→
18D
Nickname that's an alternative to Chuck (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCHAS→
23D
Native Oklahomans (6)
Starts with O, ends with SOSAGES→
25D
Bad lighting? (5)
Starts with A, ends with NARSON→
28D
Treaty of ___, official close to the War of 1812 (5)
Starts with G, ends with TGHENT→
30D
Some N.S.F.W. texts (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNUDES→
32D
Madre's hermano (3)
Starts with T, ends with OTIO→
35D
Spicy dips (9)
Starts with H, ends with SHOTSALSAS→
37D
Named, informally (4)
Starts with I, ends with DIDED→
38D
Madre's baby (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENENE→
40D
Manipulates dishonestly (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCOOKS→
41D
Common Wordle starting word (for all those vowels) (5)
Starts with A, ends with UADIEU→
43D
Crunchy sandwiches, for short (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBLTS→
44D
___ Greiner, inventor and "Shark Tank" personality (4)
Starts with L, ends with ILORI→
45D
Fresh cut (5)
Starts with N, ends with ONEWDO→
46D
Prickly patch (5)
Starts with B, ends with RBRIER→
47D
Fetter (6)
Starts with I, ends with EIMPEDE→
51D
Disappearing from the earth (9)
Starts with P, ends with GPERISHING→
54D
Hip-hop artists with unintelligible lyrics (13)
Starts with M, ends with SMUMBLERAPPERS→
56D
Bona ___ (4)
Starts with F, ends with EFIDE→
57D
Council of ___ (Counter-Reformation body) (5)
Starts with T, ends with TTRENT→
59D
Mild oath (3)
Starts with F, ends with EFIE→
61D
Trading card error (6)
Starts with M, ends with TMISCUT→
62D
Bowed, musically (4)
Starts with A, ends with OARCO→
65D
Big inits. in 1990s internet (3)
Starts with A, ends with LAOL→
66D
Genre for Stevie Ray Vaughan (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBLUES→
67D
Celebrity chef DiSpirito (5)
Starts with R, ends with OROCCO→
68D
Gyro wraps (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPITAS→
69D
Like krypton (5)
Starts with I, ends with TINERT→
70D
Turkic language (5)
Starts with T, ends with RTATAR→
73D
Basic drumming pattern (10)
Starts with P, ends with EPARADIDDLE→
74D
Steinbeck's "East of ___" (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEDEN→
75D
Place for Christmas lights (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEAVE→
77D
"Not interested" (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPASS→
78D
Head toward bankruptcy, say (4)
Starts with S, ends with KSINK→
80D
According to (5)
Starts with A, ends with RASPER→
83D
Matt of "Oppenheimer" (5)
Starts with D, ends with NDAMON→
85D
Overly bright and showy (6)
Starts with G, ends with HGARISH→
88D
Used DoorDash, say (5)
Starts with A, ends with NATEIN→
90D
___Mari Method (tidying system) (3)
Starts with K, ends with NKON→
92D
Advance in a video game (7)
Starts with L, ends with PLEVELUP→
94D
"That was true for me, too" (6)
Starts with A, ends with IASDIDI→
97D
Storage area (5)
Starts with A, ends with CATTIC→
99D
Demand from a disgruntled customer (5)
Starts with F, ends with TFIXIT→
100D
Unreliable sort, in slang (5)
Starts with F, ends with EFLAKE→
102D
What a Bohr! (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNIELS→
103D
Diamonds, but not clubs (4)
Starts with G, ends with SGEMS→
104D
Dark green (4)
Starts with K, ends with EKALE→
105D
"The Office" receptionist (4)
Starts with E, ends with NERIN→
106D
Mild oath (4)
Starts with E, ends with DEGAD→
107D
"Don't worry, boss!" (4)
Starts with O, ends with TONIT→
108D
Kind of hike (4)
Starts with W, ends with EWAGE→
110D
Position removed by the February Revolution (4)
Starts with T, ends with RTSAR→
113D
Drink "for two," in song (3)
Starts with T, ends with ATEA→
114D
Portuguese greeting (3)
Starts with O, ends with AOLA→
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 April 12, 2026?+
136 clues: 63 Across and 73 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Lance Enfinger and John Kugelman and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Words ___ Friends (WITH); Dunderheads (DOLTS); Starting point of Diana Nyad's 2013 swim to Florida (CUBA).
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.
