NYT Crossword hints and answer for April 8, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues79
Across41
Down38
ConstructorPhilippe Monfiston
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
"I'm afraid not," quaintly (6)
Starts with A, ends with OALASNO→
7A
Food brand for Fido (4)
Starts with A, ends with OALPO→
11A
Like major-city airports, typically: Abbr. (4)
Starts with I, ends with LINTL→
15A
Cash in (6)
Starts with R, ends with MREDEEM→
16A
Avocado dip, informally (4)
Starts with G, ends with CGUAC→
17A
Take a risk (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDARE→
18A
Audience's reverent response to a symphony finale? (11)
Starts with C, ends with ECODASILENCE→
20A
Keenly interested (4)
Starts with A, ends with DAVID→
21A
Shakespearean "soon" (4)
Starts with A, ends with NANON→
22A
That certain je ne sais quoi in Beethoven's "Moonlight"? (11)
Starts with S, ends with GSONATATHING→
24A
Commotion (3)
Starts with D, ends with NDIN→
25A
Measure of college readiness, for short (4)
Starts with P, ends with TPSAT→
26A
Knuckled rub to the scalp (6)
Starts with N, ends with ENOOGIE→
27A
Publishing house workers: Abbr. (3)
Starts with E, ends with SEDS→
29A
Wood-shaping hand tool (4)
Starts with R, ends with PRASP→
31A
Tagging symbols (3)
Starts with A, ends with SATS→
32A
___-Magnon (3)
Starts with C, ends with OCRO→
33A
Vegas opener? (3)
Starts with L, ends with SLAS→
34A
Perry of pop (4)
Starts with K, ends with YKATY→
36A
Opportunity for a choral understudy? (12)
Starts with S, ends with ESTANZACHANCE→
39A
Belgrade native (4)
Starts with S, ends with BSERB→
40A
"Beats me," in a text (3)
Starts with I, ends with KIDK→
41A
Caviar, essentially (3)
Starts with R, ends with EROE→
42A
Miss Piggy, for one (3)
Starts with S, ends with WSOW→
43A
Assns. (4)
Starts with O, ends with SORGS→
45A
Extended comedic riff (3)
Starts with B, ends with TBIT→
46A
Hindi for "rule" (3)
Starts with R, ends with JRAJ→
49A
Chant heard at the start of "Hot Hot Hot" (6)
Starts with O, ends with EOLEOLE→
51A
Girl in Glasgow (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLASS→
52A
Alias initialism (3)
Starts with A, ends with AAKA→
53A
When to play a note with sudden strong emphasis? (11)
Starts with F, ends with TFORZAMOMENT→
56A
"Groovy, man" (4)
Starts with I, ends with GIDIG→
57A
Popular flavor of bubble tea (4)
Starts with T, ends with OTARO→
58A
"What's Opera, Doc?," e.g.? (11)
Starts with A, ends with GARIAKIDDING→
60A
Volunteer's offer (4)
Starts with I, ends with NICAN→
61A
Hits hard (4)
Starts with R, ends with SRAMS→
62A
Respond, as a pupil might (6)
Starts with D, ends with EDILATE→
63A
Ending with kitchen (4)
Starts with E, ends with EETTE→
64A
Painter Paul (4)
Starts with K, ends with EKLEE→
65A
Key of Brahms's Symphony No. 4 (6)
Starts with E, ends with REMINOR→
Down
1D
Covered passageway (6)
Starts with A, ends with EARCADE→
2D
Meteor in a November shower (6)
Starts with L, ends with DLEONID→
3D
Enhancing accessories (6)
Starts with A, ends with SADDONS→
4D
Actor Astin of the "Lord of the Rings" films (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSEAN→
5D
Original Super Mario Bros. console (3)
Starts with N, ends with SNES→
6D
Oversight (8)
Starts with O, ends with NOMISSION→
7D
Author's representative (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAGENT→
8D
Moon over Managua (4)
Starts with L, ends with ALUNA→
9D
Treaty (4)
Starts with P, ends with TPACT→
10D
What Saturn's moon Enceladus and Jupiter's moon Europa are both believed to have (6)
Starts with O, ends with SOCEANS→
11D
The Gem State (5)
Starts with I, ends with OIDAHO→
12D
Find one's way (8)
Starts with N, ends with ENAVIGATE→
13D
Dublin college founded in 1592 (7)
Starts with T, ends with YTRINITY→
14D
Apartment planter sites, perhaps (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLEDGES→
19D
Good gardening soil (4)
Starts with L, ends with MLOAM→
23D
Traditional samurai hairstyles (8)
Starts with T, ends with STOPKNOTS→
25D
Graph of y = ax^2 + bx + c, for example (8)
Starts with P, ends with APARABOLA→
29D
Frame for a game of pool (4)
Starts with R, ends with KRACK→
30D
Forehead marking at the start of Lent (3)
Starts with A, ends with HASH→
32D
Convention bldg., in a mailing address (3)
Starts with C, ends with RCTR→
33D
Dudes, in British English (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLADS→
35D
Big name in hardware stores (3)
Starts with A, ends with EACE→
36D
Underground scurrier (8)
Starts with S, ends with TSEWERRAT→
37D
Half of a darting motion (3)
Starts with Z, ends with GZIG→
38D
Jean-Bertrand ___, 1990s Haitian leader (8)
Starts with A, ends with EARISTIDE→
39D
One-man band, for example (7)
Starts with S, ends with TSOLOACT→
42D
Sentimental sort (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESOFTIE→
44D
Comment (6)
Starts with R, ends with KREMARK→
45D
Make ___ (earn vast sums) (4)
Starts with B, ends with KBANK→
46D
Unit of angular measurement (6)
Starts with R, ends with NRADIAN→
48D
Rolling Stones frontman (6)
Starts with J, ends with RJAGGER→
50D
Absorber of UV light (5)
Starts with O, ends with EOZONE→
51D
Charter (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELEASE→
54D
Word with cavity or contraceptive (4)
Starts with O, ends with LORAL→
55D
One acting rather quiet? (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMIME→
56D
Savory South Asian rice cake (4)
Starts with I, ends with IIDLI→
59D
Lower, as lights (3)
Starts with D, ends with MDIM→
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 8, 2026?+
79 clues: 41 Across and 38 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Philippe Monfiston and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: "I'm afraid not," quaintly (ALASNO); Food brand for Fido (ALPO); Like major-city airports, typically: Abbr. (INTL).
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.
