NYT Crossword hints and answer for July 16, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues81
Across37
Down44
ConstructorZhou Zhang and Mallory Montgomery
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
5A
Sensation (5)
Starts with S, ends with HSMASH→
10A
Acquisition on the big day (5)
Starts with I, ends with WINLAW→
15A
"That's a good one!" (4)
Starts with H, ends with AHAHA→
16A
Galápagos island that was home to Lonesome George, the last tortoise of his subspecies (5)
Starts with P, ends with APINTA→
17A
Who knows what preceded the Big Bang (5)
Starts with N, ends with ENOONE→
18A
*Yes — three arduous ones (16)
Starts with I, ends with NIRONMANTRIATHLON→
21A
February 14, informally (4)
Starts with V, ends with YVDAY→
22A
Scratch that! (4)
Starts with I, ends with HITCH→
23A
El ___ (3)
Starts with C, ends with DCID→
24A
Like novices (5)
Starts with G, ends with NGREEN→
28A
Preceder of how, way or where (3)
Starts with A, ends with YANY→
29A
*Yes — sometimes more than 1,000 (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMILLIPEDE→
31A
Patooties (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBUTTS→
33A
Little dipper? (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETOE→
34A
"Tout à fait!" (3)
Starts with O, ends with IOUI→
37A
*Yes — exactly one, in common usage (12)
Starts with D, ends with TDIRECTFLIGHT→
42A
First line on many a form (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENAME→
43A
Common garnish in a chirashi bowl (3)
Starts with R, ends with EROE→
44A
Had at present? (3)
Starts with H, ends with SHAS→
47A
Article of lab wear (5)
Starts with S, ends with KSMOCK→
50A
*No — but it does have three feet (9)
Starts with Y, ends with KYARDSTICK→
53A
Elizabethan curse (3)
Starts with P, ends with XPOX→
54A
Country that las islas Canarias are part of (6)
Starts with E, ends with AESPANA→
57A
Important blood line (5)
Starts with A, ends with AAORTA→
58A
"___ is the proper task of life": Nietzsche (3)
Starts with A, ends with TART→
59A
Business whose rewards program gives "Stackholder Perks" (4)
Starts with I, ends with PIHOP→
60A
Raving (4)
Starts with A, ends with DAVID→
61A
Question during a brainstorming session ... or of the answers to the starred clues (16)
Starts with D, ends with SDOESTHISHAVELEGS→
67A
Popular Japanese brew (5)
Starts with A, ends with IASAHI→
68A
Alcohol, slangily (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESAUCE→
69A
Literary heroine who says "I would always rather be happy than dignified" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEYRE→
70A
Its capital is Sanaa (5)
Starts with Y, ends with NYEMEN→
71A
Heavens (5)
Starts with E, ends with RETHER→
72A
Debugging component? (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDEET→
Down
1D
Letter after upsilon (3)
Starts with P, ends with IPHI→
2D
Trireme tool (3)
Starts with O, ends with ROAR→
3D
Cleared, as snow (8)
Starts with S, ends with DSHOVELED→
4D
"Messiah" composer (6)
Starts with H, ends with LHANDEL→
5D
Neuter (4)
Starts with S, ends with YSPAY→
6D
What a big hand indicates: Abbr. (3)
Starts with M, ends with NMIN→
7D
Its colony can be considered one superorganism (3)
Starts with A, ends with TANT→
8D
Struggle (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESTRIFE→
9D
World's most populous Creole-speaking country (5)
Starts with H, ends with IHAITI→
10D
Pretty much assured (8)
Starts with I, ends with GINTHEBAG→
11D
Japanese drama (3)
Starts with N, ends with HNOH→
12D
Feline in a 2000s meme (6)
Starts with L, ends with TLOLCAT→
13D
Dub ... or rub (6)
Starts with A, ends with TANOINT→
14D
Fast-food restaurant that sells Frostys (6)
Starts with W, ends with SWENDYS→
19D
___-pedi (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMANI→
20D
Oft-injured part of the knee, for short (3)
Starts with A, ends with LACL→
24D
Clock-setting std. (3)
Starts with G, ends with TGMT→
25D
___ Bravo (México/Tejas border) (3)
Starts with R, ends with ORIO→
26D
Certain tie score (5)
Starts with D, ends with EDEUCE→
27D
Mince words? (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEDIT→
30D
Frost piece (4)
Starts with P, ends with MPOEM→
32D
Sound of dissatisfaction (3)
Starts with U, ends with HUGH→
35D
Botanist's study (5)
Starts with F, ends with AFLORA→
36D
Told stories (4)
Starts with L, ends with DLIED→
38D
Business ending (3)
Starts with I, ends with CINC→
39D
Roll in dough (8)
Starts with R, ends with NRAKEITIN→
40D
Actress/union leader Drescher (4)
Starts with F, ends with NFRAN→
41D
Symbol of spiritual insight, in Hinduism (8)
Starts with T, ends with ETHIRDEYE→
45D
Class ___ (3)
Starts with A, ends with TACT→
46D
Music genre with "walking" bass lines (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASKA→
47D
Steamy occasion? (6)
Starts with S, ends with YSPADAY→
48D
Lugubrious (6)
Starts with M, ends with EMOROSE→
49D
Pioneers' prairie pullers (6)
Starts with O, ends with MOXTEAM→
50D
Harangues (6)
Starts with Y, ends with TYAPSAT→
52D
Worked sufferingly (6)
Starts with T, ends with DTOILED→
55D
"Pipe down!" (3)
Starts with S, ends with HSHH→
56D
Composure (5)
Starts with P, ends with EPOISE→
60D
Attest (4)
Starts with A, ends with RAVER→
62D
___-goat (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESHE→
63D
"Wait ... really?" (3)
Starts with H, ends with HHUH→
64D
One of a kind (3)
Starts with A, ends with EACE→
65D
Test for future Ph.D.s (3)
Starts with G, ends with EGRE→
66D
Not needing anything else (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSET→
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 July 16, 2026?+
81 clues: 37 Across and 44 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Zhou Zhang and Mallory Montgomery and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Smart (POSH); Sensation (SMASH); Acquisition on the big day (INLAW).
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.
