NYT Crossword hints and answer for January 17, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues72
Across35
Down37
ConstructorAdam Aaronson
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
Expressions of disbelief or exasperation (9)
Starts with F, ends with SFACEPALMS→
10A
What "margarita" means in Spanish (5)
Starts with D, ends with YDAISY→
15A
Reputable, in a way (9)
Starts with B, ends with EBRANDNAME→
16A
What Anora and Vanya do in 2024's "Anora" (5)
Starts with E, ends with EELOPE→
17A
Too late, say (9)
Starts with O, ends with EOUTOFTIME→
18A
Advocate for the political mobilization of the proletariat (5)
Starts with L, ends with NLENIN→
19A
People often manage with them, in brief (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMBAS→
20A
You might say "Hmm" when something is this (3)
Starts with O, ends with DODD→
21A
Toppings blended with ice cream (6)
Starts with M, ends with SMIXINS→
22A
Anti-troll measure (3)
Starts with B, ends with NBAN→
23A
Tchotchke (10)
Starts with K, ends with KKNICKKNACK→
25A
Protection from drops (8)
Starts with R, ends with TRAINCOAT→
26A
With 27-Down, fateful time for a sorority pledge (3)
Starts with B, ends with DBID→
28A
City in Illinois's "Little Egypt" region (5)
Starts with C, ends with OCAIRO→
30A
Demure (3)
Starts with C, ends with YCOY→
31A
Plant with psychoactive leaves (4)
Starts with C, ends with ACOCA→
32A
Offload (on) (5)
Starts with F, ends with TFOIST→
33A
Famous monogram found backward in the alphabet (3)
Starts with M, ends with KMLK→
34A
Tall and thin (5)
Starts with L, ends with YLANKY→
35A
Revel (in) (4)
Starts with B, ends with KBASK→
36A
One of five in a typical big band (3)
Starts with S, ends with XSAX→
37A
Archetypes (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMOLDS→
38A
"All that really matters is if your rhymes was ___" (MF Doom lyric) (3)
Starts with I, ends with LILL→
39A
Artificially unsophisticated (8)
Starts with F, ends with FFAUXNAIF→
41A
Units for a high-resolution camera (10)
Starts with M, ends with SMEGAPIXELS→
43A
Interval (3)
Starts with G, ends with PGAP→
46A
Setups for some elaborate group pictures (6)
Starts with R, ends with SRISERS→
47A
Subject to careful appraisal (3)
Starts with V, ends with TVET→
48A
Lawyer's assignment (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECASE→
49A
Not budging (5)
Starts with I, ends with TINERT→
50A
Ones running along a road (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSIDEWALKS→
52A
Bracket contents (5)
Starts with T, ends with STEAMS→
53A
Where someone's height may be stretched? (9)
Starts with T, ends with OTINDERBIO→
54A
With 39-Down, pretentiously creative (5)
Starts with A, ends with YARTSY→
55A
What antiperspirants can prevent (9)
Starts with P, ends with SPITSTAINS→
Down
1D
Crude thing to drop, familiarly (5)
Starts with F, ends with BFBOMB→
2D
Westernmost territory of the Netherlands (5)
Starts with A, ends with AARUBA→
3D
Board game with resources (5)
Starts with C, ends with NCATAN→
4D
Grandson of Eve (4)
Starts with E, ends with SENOS→
5D
Many an attachment (3)
Starts with P, ends with FPDF→
6D
___ Carlos Jobim, father of the bossa nova (7)
Starts with A, ends with OANTONIO→
7D
Made, as an easy basketball shot (6)
Starts with L, ends with NLAIDIN→
8D
Longest number writable in standard Roman numerals (15)
Starts with M, ends with IMMMDCCCLXXXVIII→
10D
Use a roller on, as a jacket (6)
Starts with D, ends with TDELINT→
11D
Digital assistant (5)
Starts with A, ends with AALEXA→
12D
In which opposites attract (9)
Starts with I, ends with DIONICBOND→
13D
Flashy taekwondo moves (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSPINKICKS→
14D
Cravings (4)
Starts with Y, ends with SYENS→
21D
"All right," folksily (4)
Starts with M, ends with YMKAY→
23D
Super Mario ___ (4)
Starts with K, ends with TKART→
24D
Eccentric (4)
Starts with K, ends with KKOOK→
25D
Cybersecurity assessment (4)
Starts with R, ends with KRISK→
27D
See 26-Across (3)
Starts with D, ends with YDAY→
28D
Worker who's the subject of the song "Sixteen Tons" (9)
Starts with C, ends with RCOALMINER→
29D
Cabin choice (9)
Starts with A, ends with TAISLESEAT→
31D
Baby rhino (4)
Starts with C, ends with FCALF→
32D
Part of the D.O.J. (3)
Starts with F, ends with IFBI→
33D
So-called "Valley Isle" (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMAUI→
34D
Writer Lowry (4)
Starts with L, ends with SLOIS→
36D
Good marks? (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSAPS→
37D
Egg cream alternatives (7)
Starts with M, ends with SMALTEDS→
39D
See 54-Across (6)
Starts with F, ends with YFARTSY→
40D
Quaint contraction (6)
Starts with N, ends with TNEEDNT→
42D
Gentlemen, jocularly (5)
Starts with G, ends with SGERMS→
43D
Korean barbecue rib dish (5)
Starts with G, ends with IGALBI→
44D
Greet hospitably at the door (5)
Starts with A, ends with NASKIN→
45D
Dough at a taquería (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPESOS→
46D
Servant in "The Handmaid's Tale" (4)
Starts with R, ends with ARITA→
48D
Beloved, in Italian (4)
Starts with C, ends with ACARA→
50D
Product with the additive zinc dithiophosphate (3)
Starts with S, ends with PSTP→
51D
Like the weather in much of Equatorial Guinea (3)
Starts with W, ends with TWET→
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 17, 2026?+
72 clues: 35 Across and 37 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Adam Aaronson and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Expressions of disbelief or exasperation (FACEPALMS); What "margarita" means in Spanish (DAISY); Reputable, in a way (BRANDNAME).
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.
