NYT Crossword hints and answer for December 12, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues70
Across33
Down37
ConstructorAdrian Johnson and Jess Rucks
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
Some free spots, for short (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPSAS→
5A
Grounds (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECAUSE→
10A
Doesn't just talk (4)
Starts with A, ends with SACTS→
14A
"You're telling me!" (10)
Starts with I, ends with TIKNOWRIGHT→
16A
Word with wet or sweat (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSUIT→
17A
Conspiracy theorist's accessory (10)
Starts with T, ends with TTINFOILHAT→
18A
"Don't leave me!," e.g. (4)
Starts with P, ends with APLEA→
19A
16 in a Sweet Sixteen (5)
Starts with T, ends with STEAMS→
20A
Main component of a "gutbucket," a jug band instrument (7)
Starts with W, ends with BWASHTUB→
22A
Personal records (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBESTS→
25A
Padlocked fasteners (5)
Starts with H, ends with SHASPS→
26A
Variety of orange named for a European city (8)
Starts with V, ends with AVALENCIA→
29A
What blue crabs do roughly 20 times in their lifetimes (4)
Starts with M, ends with TMOLT→
30A
Jobs announcement of 2010 (4)
Starts with I, ends with DIPAD→
31A
News feed, perhaps (10)
Starts with R, ends with ERAWFOOTAGE→
35A
[Waaaaah!] (3)
Starts with S, ends with BSOB→
36A
Thick confection used for cake icing (7)
Starts with F, ends with TFONDANT→
37A
Part of a golf club (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETOE→
38A
See 5-Down (10)
Starts with A, ends with EAPPLESAUCE→
40A
Binary (4)
Starts with D, ends with LDUAL→
41A
Succors (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAIDS→
42A
Photo session workers (8)
Starts with S, ends with SSTYLISTS→
44A
Ace, e.g. (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESERVE→
46A
Skater's braking method with the back foot positioned horizontally (5)
Starts with T, ends with PTSTOP→
47A
Relative of a craft fair (7)
Starts with A, ends with OARTEXPO→
50A
"Duino Elegies" poet (5)
Starts with R, ends with ERILKE→
53A
Saves, as a digital location (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPINS→
54A
Clichéd line from the side of a product package (10)
Starts with A, ends with VASSEENONTV→
58A
It's cool to drink (4)
Starts with I, ends with EICEE→
59A
"I haven't told you the best part ..." (10)
Starts with T, ends with ETHERESMORE→
60A
Impressively accurate pass, in football slang (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDART→
61A
Floats (5)
Starts with H, ends with SHANGS→
62A
Give a bad hand? (4)
Starts with A, ends with TABET→
Down
2D
Vaudeville highlight (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSKIT→
3D
Pulitzer-winning journalist Applebaum (4)
Starts with A, ends with EANNE→
4D
You might pull one out for a guest (7)
Starts with S, ends with DSOFABED→
5D
With 38-Across, one way to sit (10)
Starts with C, ends with SCRISSCROSS→
6D
Feel gross (3)
Starts with A, ends with LAIL→
7D
"Gross" (3)
Starts with U, ends with HUGH→
8D
9D
"Tell Mama" singer James (4)
Starts with E, ends with AETTA→
10D
Rocky road ingredient? (7)
Starts with A, ends with TASPHALT→
11D
Distinction for a classic underground work (10)
Starts with C, ends with SCULTSTATUS→
13D
Sticks a fork in (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSTABS→
15D
Part of NOW (5)
Starts with W, ends with NWOMEN→
21D
"Fiddlesticks!" (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSHOOT→
23D
Disney princess in New Orleans (5)
Starts with T, ends with ATIANA→
24D
Workshop debris (7)
Starts with S, ends with TSAWDUST→
26D
Possible need for entry (4)
Starts with V, ends with AVISA→
28D
Colleague who might be solutions-oriented? (10)
Starts with L, ends with RLABPARTNER→
29D
Tropical plants said to bring good fortune (10)
Starts with M, ends with SMONEYTREES→
32D
"That's the truth" (5)
Starts with F, ends with SFACTS→
33D
Kid's parent (4)
Starts with G, ends with TGOAT→
34D
Hagfish lookalikes (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEELS→
36D
Company whose logo has a hidden arrow between its fourth and fifth letters (5)
Starts with F, ends with XFEDEX→
39D
Performance that isn't prerecorded (7)
Starts with L, ends with TLIVESET→
40D
Word from the Greek for "folded paper" (7)
Starts with D, ends with ADIPLOMA→
43D
Butcher shop buys (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLOINS→
44D
Pleasing to the palate (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSAPID→
45D
"Buss It" rapper ___ Banks (5)
Starts with E, ends with AERICA→
49D
Arm of the Dept. of Labor (4)
Starts with O, ends with AOSHA→
51D
Part of a cabinet (4)
Starts with K, ends with BKNOB→
52D
French 101 verb (4)
Starts with E, ends with EETRE→
55D
Whitehouse in D.C., e.g.: Abbr. (3)
Starts with S, ends with NSEN→
56D
Physics unit equivalent to roughly 624 gigaelectronvolts (3)
Starts with E, ends with GERG→
57D
Thoroughly evaluate (3)
Starts with V, ends with TVET→
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 December 12, 2025?+
70 clues: 33 Across and 37 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Adrian Johnson and Jess Rucks and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Some free spots, for short (PSAS); Grounds (CAUSE); Doesn't just talk (ACTS).
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.
