NYT Crossword hints and answer for August 26, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across37
Down39
ConstructorJohn Kugelman and Lance Enfinger
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
Modern lead-in to quit or bait (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERAGE→
5A
Heat source for many hydrothermal vents (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMAGMA→
10A
Act all teenagerly, say (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMOPE→
14A
[I have something to say ...] (4)
Starts with A, ends with MAHEM→
15A
He has the weight of the world on his shoulders (5)
Starts with A, ends with SATLAS→
16A
River by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre (4)
Starts with A, ends with NAVON→
17A
Enhancing "blemish" (3x) (10)
Starts with B, ends with KBEAUTYMARK→
19A
Rip apart (4)
Starts with R, ends with DREND→
20A
Something to belly up to (3)
Starts with B, ends with RBAR→
21A
Tennis's "King of Clay," familiarly (4)
Starts with R, ends with ARAFA→
22A
Cautious (4)
Starts with W, ends with YWARY→
23A
"My guess is ..." (5)
Starts with I, ends with YIDSAY→
25A
Teach, playfully (3x) (9)
Starts with E, ends with EEDUMACATE→
29A
Pinocchio's tell (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENOSE→
31A
South American capital where Simón Bolívar was born (7)
Starts with C, ends with SCARACAS→
32A
___ Wowie (cocktail with a rhyming name) (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMAUI→
33A
PC key (3)
Starts with A, ends with TALT→
34A
Wait for it! (3)
Starts with T, ends with PTIP→
35A
Sweet popcorn coating (4x) (13)
Starts with S, ends with LSALTEDCARAMEL→
39A
Sci-fi pilot ___ Solo (3)
Starts with H, ends with NHAN→
40A
Call, as a poker bet (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESEE→
41A
Roman author of "Metamorphoses" (4)
Starts with O, ends with DOVID→
42A
Fred Flintstone's boss at the rock quarry (7)
Starts with M, ends with EMRSLATE→
45A
Tech review site (4)
Starts with C, ends with TCNET→
46A
Nut in Sausalito cookies (3x) (9)
Starts with M, ends with AMACADAMIA→
48A
Bundles in a stationery shop (5)
Starts with R, ends with SREAMS→
52A
Pointed remarks (4)
Starts with J, ends with SJABS→
53A
"Famous" cookie entrepreneur (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAMOS→
55A
Church fixture (3)
Starts with P, ends with WPEW→
56A
Black mark on a credit report, in brief (4)
Starts with R, ends with OREPO→
57A
"Unbelievable!" ... or what 17-, 25-, 35- and 46-Across are made from, letter-wise? (10)
Starts with S, ends with ESOMEPEOPLE→
60A
Never Have I ___ (party game) (4)
Starts with E, ends with REVER→
61A
April's ___ Day (5)
Starts with A, ends with RARBOR→
62A
Bug on a pug (4)
Starts with F, ends with AFLEA→
63A
Alien incubators in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPODS→
64A
Acrimonious, as a breakup (5)
Starts with M, ends with YMESSY→
65A
Units of verse (4)
Starts with F, ends with TFEET→
Down
1D
Torah scholar (5)
Starts with R, ends with IRABBI→
2D
Bridge Out ___ (sign) (5)
Starts with A, ends with DAHEAD→
3D
They have teeth but don't bite (5)
Starts with G, ends with SGEARS→
4D
Ground-dwelling bird in a eucalyptus forest (3)
Starts with E, ends with UEMU→
5D
Chichén Itzá builders (4)
Starts with M, ends with AMAYA→
6D
Taking charge? (6)
Starts with A, ends with EATMFEE→
7D
Happy-sounding advocacy grp. (5)
Starts with G, ends with DGLAAD→
8D
Scuff up, say (3)
Starts with M, ends with RMAR→
9D
Set, as a price (3)
Starts with A, ends with KASK→
10D
Instrument associated with beans and salsa? (6)
Starts with M, ends with AMARACA→
11D
Was a ham (9)
Starts with O, ends with DOVERACTED→
12D
Scrunchied hairstyle (8)
Starts with P, ends with LPONYTAIL→
13D
"The ___" (final track listed on the original "Abbey Road") (3)
Starts with E, ends with DEND→
18D
Audition (6)
Starts with T, ends with TTRYOUT→
22D
Word that can precede cry or baby (3)
Starts with W, ends with RWAR→
24D
Picky, picky, picky (4)
Starts with A, ends with LANAL→
26D
Sch. attended by Steve Martin, James Dean and Jack Black (none of whom stayed to graduate) (4)
Starts with U, ends with AUCLA→
27D
Housemother (6)
Starts with M, ends with NMATRON→
28D
What cards with circles, stars, pluses, squares and wavy lines test for, in brief (3)
Starts with E, ends with PESP→
30D
Day break? (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASIESTA→
32D
Got it all off his chest? (9)
Starts with M, ends with DMANSCAPED→
33D
Disc golf "hole"-in-one (3)
Starts with A, ends with EACE→
35D
Capital city known as the "Jerusalem of the Balkans" (8)
Starts with S, ends with OSARAJEVO→
36D
Consider (4)
Starts with D, ends with MDEEM→
37D
Disinclined (6)
Starts with A, ends with EAVERSE→
38D
Small bug with a strong-sounding name (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMITE→
39D
"Well, let me think" (3)
Starts with H, ends with MHMM→
43D
Herculean tasks (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLABORS→
44D
Almost a quarter of the Super Bowl's run time (3)
Starts with A, ends with SADS→
45D
Sometimes-uncredited appearances (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCAMEOS→
47D
da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, for example (5)
Starts with I, ends with SIAMBS→
49D
Gift from a teacher's pet (5)
Starts with A, ends with EAPPLE→
50D
Free-for-all (5)
Starts with M, ends with EMELEE→
51D
Result of a hot pursuit? (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSWEAT→
54D
Grand Ole ___ (4)
Starts with O, ends with YOPRY→
56D
One leg press, say (3)
Starts with R, ends with PREP→
57D
Uncle ___ (3)
Starts with S, ends with MSAM→
58D
Minecraft resource (3)
Starts with O, ends with EORE→
59D
Command to a jumpy dog (3)
Starts with O, ends with FOFF→
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 August 26, 2026?+
76 clues: 37 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by John Kugelman and Lance Enfinger and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Modern lead-in to quit or bait (RAGE); Heat source for many hydrothermal vents (MAGMA); Act all teenagerly, say (MOPE).
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.
