NYT Crossword hints and answer for April 21, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across35
Down41
ConstructorVictoria Fernandez Grande
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
Surrenders (6)
Starts with Y, ends with SYIELDS→
7A
Wise thinker (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESAGE→
11A
Form of poetry Pablo Neruda used to praise socks, onions and salt (3)
Starts with O, ends with EODE→
14A
Realm of the Aztecs or Incas (6)
Starts with E, ends with EEMPIRE→
15A
Do some farmwork (4)
Starts with P, ends with WPLOW→
16A
___ de plume (3)
Starts with N, ends with MNOM→
17A
Mentor from the beyond (11)
Starts with S, ends with ESPIRITGUIDE→
19A
Whitney who invented the cotton gin (3)
Starts with E, ends with IELI→
20A
Soak up (6)
Starts with A, ends with BABSORB→
21A
"___ have to do" (4)
Starts with I, ends with LITLL→
22A
Grifters' schemes (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCONS→
25A
Major charity whose recipients include the Red Cross and Salvation Army (9)
Starts with U, ends with YUNITEDWAY→
28A
Lexington or Madison in N.Y.C.: Abbr. (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAVE→
29A
Mo. with Aries and Taurus signs (3)
Starts with A, ends with RAPR→
31A
Soon-to-be graduates (7)
Starts with S, ends with SSENIORS→
32A
Offering from an entrepreneurial child's stand (8)
Starts with L, ends with ELEMONADE→
35A
Song and dance (3)
Starts with A, ends with OADO→
36A
Wild West way of settling disputes (15)
Starts with F, ends with EFRONTIERJUSTICE→
41A
Broadway's ___-Manuel Miranda (3)
Starts with L, ends with NLIN→
42A
In a gloomy way (8)
Starts with M, ends with YMOROSELY→
43A
Starbucks alternatives from the Golden Arches (7)
Starts with M, ends with SMCCAFES→
48A
Bambi's mother, for one (3)
Starts with D, ends with EDOE→
49A
1972 country hit for Tanya Tucker (9)
Starts with D, ends with NDELTADAWN→
51A
Reptiles on papyrus (4)
Starts with A, ends with SASPS→
52A
Ballet bend (4)
Starts with P, ends with EPLIE→
53A
Puts pen to paper (6)
Starts with W, ends with SWRITES→
56A
"But Daddy I Love ___" (Taylor Swift song) (3)
Starts with H, ends with MHIM→
57A
Early advantage ... or a hint to the beginnings of 17-, 25-, 36- and 49-Across (11)
Starts with F, ends with TFLYINGSTART→
62A
"Blueprint" for life (3)
Starts with D, ends with ADNA→
63A
Falsehoods (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLIES→
64A
Chemical "twin" (6)
Starts with I, ends with RISOMER→
65A
"On the Basis of ___" (Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic) (3)
Starts with S, ends with XSEX→
66A
Circular tent (4)
Starts with Y, ends with TYURT→
67A
Words often accompanying a present (6)
Starts with F, ends with UFORYOU→
Down
1D
Answer equivalent to "I do" (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYES→
2D
Mischievous devil (3)
Starts with I, ends with PIMP→
3D
Prefix with center (3)
Starts with E, ends with IEPI→
4D
Coins spent in Turkey (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLIRAS→
5D
Tiny drop (4)
Starts with D, ends with BDRIB→
6D
Tennis match units (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSETS→
8D
They may crumble under cross-examination (6)
Starts with A, ends with SALIBIS→
9D
Zeus or Odin (3)
Starts with G, ends with DGOD→
10D
Female form of the animal that outnumbers humans in Iceland (3)
Starts with E, ends with EEWE→
11D
Boxing combo (6)
Starts with O, ends with OONETWO→
12D
Big name in rental cars (6)
Starts with D, ends with RDOLLAR→
13D
___ List (PAC for Democratic female candidates) (6)
Starts with E, ends with SEMILYS→
18D
Haitian currency unit (6)
Starts with G, ends with EGOURDE→
21D
Not the brightest bulbs, so to speak (6)
Starts with I, ends with SIDIOTS→
22D
Bovine baby (4)
Starts with C, ends with FCALF→
23D
___ the moon (4)
Starts with O, ends with ROVER→
24D
Captain in "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" (4)
Starts with N, ends with ONEMO→
26D
Steeping container (6)
Starts with T, ends with NTEAURN→
27D
Finishes with (6)
Starts with E, ends with NENDSON→
29D
Left-wing protest group (6)
Starts with A, ends with AANTIFA→
30D
Tormented (6)
Starts with P, ends with DPAINED→
33D
Like "The Tonight Show" and "Saturday Night Live" (6)
Starts with O, ends with EONLATE→
34D
Hesitation sound across the pond (3)
Starts with E, ends with MERM→
37D
Enter the chat, so to speak (6)
Starts with J, ends with NJOININ→
38D
Some military hazards, for short (4)
Starts with I, ends with SIEDS→
39D
Hoofbeat (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCLOP→
40D
Visually sizes up (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEYES→
43D
Dual degrees for physicians (6)
Starts with M, ends with SMDPHDS→
44D
___ Dion, the "Queen of Power Ballads" (6)
Starts with C, ends with ECELINE→
46D
Literary friend of Finn (6)
Starts with S, ends with RSAWYER→
50D
Body part that's flicked (5)
Starts with W, ends with TWRIST→
51D
Businessman John Jacob ___ (5)
Starts with A, ends with RASTOR→
54D
"Almost time for the weekend!" (4)
Starts with T, ends with FTGIF→
55D
Canadian gas brand (4)
Starts with E, ends with OESSO→
57D
Cool, in ’90s slang (3)
Starts with F, ends with YFLY→
58D
Common Chinese surname (3)
Starts with L, ends with ULIU→
59D
Funny Schumer or Poehler (3)
Starts with A, ends with YAMY→
60D
___ Speedwagon (3)
Starts with R, ends with OREO→
61D
"___ dat" (slangy agreement) (3)
Starts with T, ends with UTRU→
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 21, 2026?+
76 clues: 35 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Victoria Fernandez Grande and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Surrenders (YIELDS); Wise thinker (SAGE); Form of poetry Pablo Neruda used to praise socks, onions and salt (ODE).
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.
