NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 12, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across32
Down44
ConstructorJohn Ruff
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
Appropriate answer for 1-Across (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSTART→
6A
Have the sense of (4)
Starts with F, ends with LFEEL→
10A
Females shepherded by shepherds (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEWES→
14A
Fuel-bearing ship (5)
Starts with O, ends with ROILER→
15A
Leer at (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOGLE→
16A
One piece of a three-piece suit (4)
Starts with V, ends with TVEST→
17A
Listing at an ice cream shop in Ipswich (15)
Starts with F, ends with YFLAVOUROFTHEDAY→
20A
Lou Gehrig's disease, in brief (3)
Starts with A, ends with SALS→
21A
"___ Robinson" (Simon & Garfunkel song) (3)
Starts with M, ends with SMRS→
22A
Happen afterward (5)
Starts with E, ends with EENSUE→
23A
Some limb-moving muscles (9)
Starts with A, ends with SABDUCTORS→
27A
Kids' items at a day care in Derby (14)
Starts with C, ends with SCOLOURINGBOOKS→
32A
Pack tightly (5)
Starts with J, ends with NJAMIN→
33A
Spanish for "this" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EESTE→
34A
Pod tidbit (3)
Starts with P, ends with APEA→
35A
Spoke to a convention, say (6)
Starts with O, ends with DORATED→
37A
Members of the aristocracy (6)
Starts with E, ends with SELITES→
40A
Establishment that might offer free breakfast (3)
Starts with I, ends with NINN→
41A
Quaint lead-in to while (4)
Starts with E, ends with TERST→
45A
Leads off (5)
Starts with O, ends with SOPENS→
46A
Areas on a map of Manchester (14)
Starts with N, ends with SNEIGHBOURHOODS→
50A
Sudden, widespread appearances of illness (9)
Starts with O, ends with SOUTBREAKS→
51A
Live (in) (5)
Starts with D, ends with LDWELL→
54A
"Thanks a ___!" (informal appreciation) (3)
Starts with M, ends with LMIL→
55A
Butcher's discard (3)
Starts with F, ends with TFAT→
58A
"Hmm, why use the spellings of 17-, 27- and 46-Across?" (15)
Starts with O, ends with HOHYOUAREBRITISH→
63A
Laura of "Jurassic Park" (4)
Starts with D, ends with NDERN→
64A
A pelican can hold more water in this than in its belly (4)
Starts with B, ends with LBILL→
65A
Franz ___, Prague-born writer of dark fiction (5)
Starts with K, ends with AKAFKA→
66A
Force holding us onto Earth, informally (4)
Starts with O, ends with GONEG→
67A
Pepsi alternative (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECOKE→
68A
Be present (5)
Starts with E, ends with TEXIST→
Down
2D
Tens or ones place? (4)
Starts with T, ends with LTILL→
3D
Lead-in to "poor Yorick!" (4)
Starts with A, ends with SALAS→
4D
Al Sharpton's title, for short (3)
Starts with R, ends with VREV→
5D
Instrument with a Renaissance-era ancestor called a sackbut (8)
Starts with T, ends with ETROMBONE→
6D
"Absolutely!" (7)
Starts with F, ends with EFORSURE→
7D
Sense of self (3)
Starts with E, ends with OEGO→
8D
Hermey is one, in TV's "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (3)
Starts with E, ends with FELF→
9D
Do-over at serving (3)
Starts with L, ends with TLET→
10D
"Nevertheless …" (6)
Starts with E, ends with OEVENSO→
11D
Marries (4)
Starts with W, ends with SWEDS→
12D
One son of Isaac and Rebekah (4)
Starts with E, ends with UESAU→
13D
Bacterial eye malady (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESTYE→
18D
Pakistani language (4)
Starts with U, ends with UURDU→
19D
Chervil or chive (4)
Starts with H, ends with BHERB→
23D
Touched down (4)
Starts with A, ends with TALIT→
24D
Stool pigeons, in police shorthand (3)
Starts with C, ends with SCIS→
25D
Explosive inits. (3)
Starts with T, ends with TTNT→
26D
Kind of arch in architecture (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOGEE→
27D
___ asada (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECARNE→
28D
Resident of a Mideast sultanate (5)
Starts with O, ends with IOMANI→
29D
Chose, with "for" (5)
Starts with O, ends with DOPTED→
31D
Give some lip to (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSASS→
32D
Sign up for (4)
Starts with J, ends with NJOIN→
36D
Some are said to be "swimming" in this (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDEBT→
38D
Resemble (8)
Starts with L, ends with ELOOKLIKE→
39D
Ways to raise capital, in brief (4)
Starts with I, ends with SIPOS→
42D
Lowe on TV (3)
Starts with R, ends with BROB→
43D
Big ___, West Coast tourist destination (3)
Starts with S, ends with RSUR→
44D
Shake with fear (7)
Starts with T, ends with ETREMBLE→
47D
Sandlot QB's order to a receiver (6)
Starts with G, ends with GGOLONG→
48D
Streaming service owned by Disney (4)
Starts with H, ends with UHULU→
49D
Cause of a shower drain clog, maybe (4)
Starts with H, ends with RHAIR→
51D
Birdbrain (4)
Starts with D, ends with ODODO→
52D
"At what time?" (4)
Starts with W, ends with NWHEN→
53D
Brontë heroine (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEYRE→
55D
Popular female poodle name (4)
Starts with F, ends with IFIFI→
56D
Inquires (4)
Starts with A, ends with SASKS→
57D
Word after "Copy" or "Fancy" (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTHAT→
59D
Airer of "The View" (3)
Starts with A, ends with CABC→
60D
Site of the world's largest Carnival celebration (3)
Starts with R, ends with ORIO→
61D
Wapiti, by another name (3)
Starts with E, ends with KELK→
62D
Put a burden on (3)
Starts with T, ends with XTAX→
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 May 12, 2026?+
76 clues: 32 Across and 44 Down. The puzzle was constructed by John Ruff and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Appropriate answer for 1-Across (START); Have the sense of (FEEL); Females shepherded by shepherds (EWES).
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.
