NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 17, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues72
Across36
Down36
ConstructorRyan Judge
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
Much mail to Santa (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLISTS→
6A
Rubbish destinations (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBINS→
10A
Sultanate that controls the exclave of Madha (4)
Starts with O, ends with NOMAN→
14A
Mescal source (5)
Starts with A, ends with EAGAVE→
15A
Tip line? (9)
Starts with A, ends with EANYADVICE→
17A
Sitcom set in a corner store run by a Korean Canadian family (2016-21) (15)
Starts with K, ends with EKIMSCONVENIENCE→
19A
Halloween vis-à-vis All Saints' Day (3)
Starts with E, ends with EEVE→
20A
Hair color, e.g. (5)
Starts with T, ends with TTRAIT→
21A
Cards' home (3)
Starts with A, ends with IARI→
22A
The sun, e.g., in about five billion years (8)
Starts with R, ends with TREDGIANT→
24A
Humiliated (or honored), as on Nickelodeon (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSLIMED→
27A
Like one preferring platonic relationships, informally (3)
Starts with A, ends with OARO→
28A
British singer ___ Parks (4)
Starts with A, ends with OARLO→
30A
Museum with works by Hockney, Turner and Millais (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETATE→
31A
Going down, in a way (11)
Starts with F, ends with HFLYINGSOUTH→
35A
Threw one's hat in the ring (3)
Starts with R, ends with NRAN→
36A
Becomes uncomfortable, as underwear (7)
Starts with R, ends with PRIDESUP→
37A
Frightful (7)
Starts with G, ends with YGHASTLY→
39A
Type that's compatible with everyone, in brief (4)
Starts with O, ends with GONEG→
40A
First president of the S.C.L.C. (3)
Starts with M, ends with KMLK→
42A
Neutral color (3)
Starts with A, ends with HASH→
43A
Work well together (3)
Starts with G, ends with LGEL→
44A
"C'mon, dish it!" (11)
Starts with S, ends with ASPILLTHETEA→
49A
Chicken nugget shape (4)
Starts with D, ends with ODINO→
51A
Stands to practice hitting (4)
Starts with T, ends with STEES→
52A
Causes of some burns (4)
Starts with R, ends with SRUGS→
53A
N.F.L. team whose name is a literary reference (6)
Starts with R, ends with SRAVENS→
55A
Fills up (8)
Starts with E, ends with TEATSALOT→
57A
Scale range (8)
Starts with O, ends with NONETOTEN→
59A
Blather (6)
Starts with H, ends with RHOTAIR→
60A
"Bad Moon Rising" band, familiarly (3)
Starts with C, ends with RCCR→
61A
Further (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMORE→
62A
M.L.B. star Pete who holds the single-season record for homers by a rookie (53) (6)
Starts with A, ends with OALONSO→
63A
Map inset (3)
Starts with K, ends with YKEY→
64A
End of a trail, perhaps (4)
Starts with A, ends with XAPEX→
65A
They're accepted at church (6)
Starts with T, ends with STENETS→
Down
1D
Athlete who shares his home venue with the Sparks (5)
Starts with L, ends with RLAKER→
2D
"Enough!" (5)
Starts with I, ends with EIGIVE→
3D
Prime choice (15)
Starts with S, ends with YSAMEDAYDELIVERY→
4D
They're found in dens (3)
Starts with T, ends with STVS→
5D
Sports and Arts, e.g. (8)
Starts with S, ends with SSECTIONS→
6D
Something to take in from a boat (11)
Starts with B, ends with TBANANASPLIT→
7D
Outside the typical biological setting (7)
Starts with I, ends with OINVITRO→
8D
Dostoyevsky's denial (4)
Starts with N, ends with TNYET→
9D
Spanish word on a U.S. map (3)
Starts with S, ends with NSAN→
10D
Having lost interest (6)
Starts with O, ends with TOVERIT→
11D
Where you might refuel after refueling (8)
Starts with M, ends with TMINIMART→
12D
Miami is in it, for short (3)
Starts with A, ends with CACC→
13D
French word that sounds like a vote (3)
Starts with N, ends with ENEE→
16D
Turn (up) (4)
Starts with D, ends with LDIAL→
18D
Rita ___, "R.I.P." singer (3)
Starts with O, ends with AORA→
23D
Composer Edvard (5)
Starts with G, ends with GGRIEG→
24D
"Anyway, gonna move on now" (11)
Starts with S, ends with TSOTHATSTHAT→
25D
Name-dropping abbreviation (4)
Starts with E, ends with LETAL→
26D
Not own (4)
Starts with D, ends with YDENY→
29D
Schlep (3)
Starts with L, ends with GLUG→
31D
End part of a violin bow (4)
Starts with F, ends with GFROG→
32D
What might lead to a row at a party? (9)
Starts with L, ends with ELINEDANCE→
33D
Forrest of film (4)
Starts with G, ends with PGUMP→
34D
Miscellany (4)
Starts with H, ends with HHASH→
38D
Chain whose name came from a Boston hotel whose sign was too expensive to remove (8)
Starts with S, ends with NSHERATON→
41D
Part of a cold pack? (7)
Starts with K, ends with XKLEENEX→
44D
Wine valley in the Bay Area (6)
Starts with S, ends with ASONOMA→
45D
Green expanse (3)
Starts with L, ends with ALEA→
46D
It was founded as the Medical College of Louisiana (6)
Starts with T, ends with ETULANE→
47D
One with an "I" problem? (6)
Starts with E, ends with TEGOIST→
48D
Team whose logo contains an "H" on top of a star (6)
Starts with A, ends with SASTROS→
50D
It's not gross (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNET→
54D
"Enough!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with PSTOP→
56D
Base of a pump (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESOLE→
58D
"Ended, ___ it begun" (Emily Dickinson poem) (3)
Starts with E, ends with EERE→
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 17, 2025?+
72 clues: 36 Across and 36 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Ryan Judge and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Much mail to Santa (LISTS); Rubbish destinations (BINS); Sultanate that controls the exclave of Madha (OMAN).
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.
