NYT Crossword hints and answer for January 16, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues72
Across35
Down37
ConstructorKyle Dolan
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
Coming-out party? (10)
Starts with B, ends with RBABYSHOWER→
11A
Finish (up) (4)
Starts with W, ends with PWRAP→
15A
"Hello-o-o?" (10)
Starts with A, ends with EANYONEHOME→
16A
Dialect featured in the literature of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, for short (4)
Starts with A, ends with EAAVE→
17A
Scenario calling for self-reliance (10)
Starts with S, ends with MSINKORSWIM→
18A
Summer flier (4)
Starts with G, ends with TGNAT→
19A
Classic 1926 poem associated with the Harlem Renaissance (4)
Starts with I, ends with OITOO→
20A
Do some cleaning (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDUST→
21A
Creatures that can turn into humans on land, in Scottish folklore (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSEALS→
22A
Sound around a summer cornfield (3)
Starts with C, ends with WCAW→
23A
Wood used for flooring (3)
Starts with F, ends with RFIR→
24A
Trunk item (6)
Starts with G, ends with NGASCAN→
25A
Shortest-reigning English monarch (9 days) (8)
Starts with J, ends with YJANEGREY→
28A
Molecule that can self-splice (3)
Starts with R, ends with ARNA→
29A
Enthusiasm-curbing (6)
Starts with J, ends with GJADING→
32A
"Here we go!" (8)
Starts with L, ends with KLETSROCK→
34A
Uncovered (4)
Starts with O, ends with NOPEN→
35A
Some cuts of meat (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCHOPS→
37A
Tennis great who had a tennis scholarship from U.C.L.A. (4)
Starts with A, ends with EASHE→
38A
Place for trading stories? (8)
Starts with B, ends with RBOOKFAIR→
40A
Diverts (6)
Starts with A, ends with SAMUSES→
42A
It takes a long time to get this (3)
Starts with O, ends with DOLD→
43A
Leading character on social media? (8)
Starts with A, ends with LATSYMBOL→
45A
White House partner, for short (6)
Starts with F, ends with SFLOTUS→
47A
Assume, as costs (3)
Starts with E, ends with TEAT→
48A
Do some cleaning (3)
Starts with M, ends with PMOP→
51A
Market for currencies, informally (5)
Starts with F, ends with XFOREX→
52A
Financial aid basis (4)
Starts with N, ends with DNEED→
54A
Hand count? (4)
Starts with F, ends with EFIVE→
55A
Ian : Scotland :: ___ : Wales (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEVAN→
56A
One might help you hitch a ride (10)
Starts with C, ends with RCARTRAILER→
58A
Parmesan cheese feature (4)
Starts with R, ends with DRIND→
59A
Novel whence the line "Four legs good, two legs bad" (10)
Starts with A, ends with MANIMALFARM→
61A
They're green year-round (10)
Starts with F, ends with SFAKEPLANTS→
Down
1D
Bare-bones (5)
Starts with B, ends with CBASIC→
2D
Oscar-winning musical role for Rita Moreno (5)
Starts with A, ends with AANITA→
3D
Already (5)
Starts with B, ends with WBYNOW→
4D
"The Memory Police" author ___ Ogawa (4)
Starts with Y, ends with OYOKO→
5D
Brand lead-in to Caps or Balls (3)
Starts with S, ends with OSNO→
6D
Unwieldy situation, metaphorically (11)
Starts with H, ends with SHERDINGCATS→
7D
"As if!" (6)
Starts with O, ends with EOHSURE→
8D
Blows away (4)
Starts with W, ends with SWOWS→
9D
Release (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEMIT→
10D
Kind of cycle (3)
Starts with R, ends with MREM→
11D
Listing on a W-2 form (5)
Starts with W, ends with SWAGES→
12D
Stumbled upon (9)
Starts with R, ends with SRANACROSS→
13D
Overwhelming amount (9)
Starts with A, ends with EAVALANCHE→
14D
Some terrarium denizens (9)
Starts with P, ends with SPETSNAKES→
21D
Declares (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSAYS→
23D
Tai chi accessory (3)
Starts with F, ends with NFAN→
24D
Receives unfair criticism (11)
Starts with G, ends with PGETSABADRAP→
25D
Nimble, zigzagging maneuver (4)
Starts with J, ends with KJINK→
26D
Best Original Song Oscar winner from 2014's "Selma" (5)
Starts with G, ends with YGLORY→
27D
P.E. unit (3)
Starts with R, ends with PREP→
29D
Invitations to come on board (9)
Starts with J, ends with SJOBOFFERS→
30D
First NASA mission broadcast live from orbit (9)
Starts with A, ends with IAPOLLOVII→
31D
Secret offering? (9)
Starts with D, ends with TDEODORANT→
33D
Julia of "The Addams Family" (4)
Starts with R, ends with LRAUL→
36D
___ Excellency (3)
Starts with H, ends with SHIS→
39D
Like leatherette (4)
Starts with F, ends with XFAUX→
41D
Witticism (3)
Starts with M, ends with TMOT→
44D
Start of a secret invitation, perhaps (6)
Starts with M, ends with EMEETME→
48D
Locale of a semiannual fashion week (5)
Starts with M, ends with NMILAN→
49D
Opposite of subtle (5)
Starts with O, ends with TOVERT→
50D
Makes do for a while? (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPERMS→
52D
Gram, by another name (4)
Starts with N, ends with ANANA→
53D
Composer Satie (4)
Starts with E, ends with KERIK→
54D
Goal-oriented global org.? (4)
Starts with F, ends with AFIFA→
56D
Half-___ (3)
Starts with C, ends with FCAF→
57D
Totally (3)
Starts with A, ends with LALL→
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 16, 2026?+
72 clues: 35 Across and 37 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Kyle Dolan and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Coming-out party? (BABYSHOWER); Finish (up) (WRAP); "Hello-o-o?" (ANYONEHOME).
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.
