NYT Crossword hints and answer for January 12, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues81
Across37
Down44
ConstructorCarolyn Davies Lynch and Christina Iverson
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
Intimidate, with "out" (5)
Starts with P, ends with HPSYCH→
6A
Bird's dramatic dive (5)
Starts with S, ends with PSWOOP→
11A
Place to store a lawn mower (4)
Starts with S, ends with DSHED→
15A
Hawaiian greeting (5)
Starts with A, ends with AALOHA→
16A
___ cold brew (5)
Starts with N, ends with ONITRO→
17A
Concluding part of a song (4)
Starts with C, ends with ACODA→
18A
Rhyming advice to a spitting talker (16)
Starts with S, ends with TSAYITDONTSPRAYIT→
21A
"Halt!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with PSTOP→
22A
___-anxiety (fear of harm to the environment caused by human activity) (3)
Starts with E, ends with OECO→
23A
Use, as machinery (7)
Starts with O, ends with EOPERATE→
24A
Lots and lots (6)
Starts with S, ends with YSOMANY→
27A
Acronym of affection in ASL (3)
Starts with I, ends with YILY→
28A
E.M.T. process often administered to the beat of "Stayin' Alive" (3)
Starts with C, ends with RCPR→
31A
Rhyming advice to a gym rat (12)
Starts with N, ends with NNOPAINNOGAIN→
36A
Avoids, as capture (6)
Starts with E, ends with SELUDES→
38A
French "not" (3)
Starts with P, ends with SPAS→
39A
Prefix that means "all" (4)
Starts with O, ends with IOMNI→
40A
Garage jobs involving grease guns (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLUBES→
41A
"If all ___ fails …" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EELSE→
43A
Comic/TV host O'Brien (5)
Starts with C, ends with NCONAN→
44A
Man's name that's a citrus fruit spelled backward (4)
Starts with E, ends with LEMIL→
45A
Substance that's a homophone and anagram of 51-Across (3)
Starts with O, ends with EORE→
46A
Reddish-brown antiseptic in a first-aid kit (6)
Starts with I, ends with EIODINE→
47A
Rhyming advice to a renter of VHS tapes (12)
Starts with B, ends with DBEKINDREWIND→
51A
Contraction that's a homophone and anagram of 45-Across (3)
Starts with O, ends with ROER→
52A
Massachusetts' Cape ___ (3)
Starts with C, ends with DCOD→
53A
Smooched (6)
Starts with K, ends with DKISSED→
55A
"I'll take the blame here" (7)
Starts with M, ends with TMYFAULT→
59A
Liquid that circulates in a plant (3)
Starts with S, ends with PSAP→
60A
Locale for Adam and Eve (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEDEN→
64A
Rhyming advice to a procrastinator (16)
Starts with Y, ends with EYOUSNOOZEYOULOSE→
67A
Fairy tale villain (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOGRE→
68A
Lock of hair (5)
Starts with T, ends with STRESS→
69A
Leaf on a sushi tray (5)
Starts with S, ends with OSHISO→
70A
Broad inlets (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBAYS→
71A
Handle, as matters (5)
Starts with S, ends with OSEETO→
72A
Conceal for the time being, as information (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSITON→
Down
1D
Get a grade other than an F (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPASS→
2D
Mattress supporter (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSLAT→
3D
Toy that can go "around the world" (4)
Starts with Y, ends with OYOYO→
4D
You might let these "fall where they may" (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCHIPS→
5D
A chef might wear a puffy white one (3)
Starts with H, ends with THAT→
6D
Chocolate treat designed to look like a mountaintop (6)
Starts with S, ends with PSNOCAP→
7D
Actress Ryder of "Beetlejuice" (6)
Starts with W, ends with AWINONA→
8D
Baseball's Mel (3)
Starts with O, ends with TOTT→
9D
" … in that range" (4)
Starts with O, ends with OORSO→
10D
Mary who sings "In every job that must be done there is an element of fun" (7)
Starts with P, ends with SPOPPINS→
11D
So great it's unnerving (9)
Starts with S, ends with DSCARYGOOD→
12D
Georgetown athlete (4)
Starts with H, ends with AHOYA→
13D
Put in a good word, perhaps? (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEDIT→
14D
Something circled on a calendar (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDATE→
19D
Presentations during a product unveiling (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDEMOS→
20D
Move, to a Realtor (4)
Starts with R, ends with ORELO→
25D
More than 10 billion of them are currently in circulation in the U.S. (4)
Starts with O, ends with SONES→
26D
Plaints of puppies (4)
Starts with Y, ends with SYIPS→
28D
One with many Insta followers, perhaps (5)
Starts with C, ends with BCELEB→
29D
Fancy feather (5)
Starts with P, ends with EPLUME→
30D
Toy cube inventor Erno (5)
Starts with R, ends with KRUBIK→
32D
Scottish negative (3)
Starts with N, ends with ENAE→
33D
Test an OB may perform in the second trimester (5)
Starts with A, ends with OAMNIO→
35D
Football player with a team name inspired by the California gold rush (5)
Starts with N, ends with RNINER→
37D
Where meats and cheeses are often displayed (9)
Starts with D, ends with SDELICASES→
41D
Blunder (3)
Starts with E, ends with RERR→
42D
Vegetable that looks like a large scallion (4)
Starts with L, ends with KLEEK→
43D
Girls Who ___ (nonprofit promoting women in computer science) (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECODE→
45D
Incomplete sets on sale (7)
Starts with O, ends with SODDLOTS→
46D
Source of motivation, in modern lingo (5)
Starts with I, ends with OINSPO→
48D
Verb preceder, typically (4)
Starts with N, ends with NNOUN→
49D
Most sagacious (6)
Starts with W, ends with TWISEST→
50D
Parent's declaration in response to defiance (6)
Starts with I, ends with OISAYSO→
54D
New ___, capital of India (5)
Starts with D, ends with IDELHI→
55D
"Get outta my hair!," in a text (4)
Starts with M, ends with BMYOB→
56D
Discipline for the flexible (4)
Starts with Y, ends with AYOGA→
58D
Ripped (up) (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETORE→
61D
Phrase sometimes chanted after a dare (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDOIT→
62D
Canadian gas brand (4)
Starts with E, ends with OESSO→
63D
Element with the symbol Ne (4)
Starts with N, ends with NNEON→
65D
Last of 26 letters (3)
Starts with Z, ends with EZEE→
66D
Initialism on a Navy carrier (3)
Starts with U, ends with SUSS→
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 January 12, 2026?+
81 clues: 37 Across and 44 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Carolyn Davies Lynch and Christina Iverson and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Intimidate, with "out" (PSYCH); Bird's dramatic dive (SWOOP); Place to store a lawn mower (SHED).
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.
