NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 18, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues138
Across65
Down73
TitleHalving the Last Word
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
Verso's counterpart (5)
Starts with R, ends with ORECTO→
6A
Alternative to an onion bagel (5)
Starts with B, ends with YBIALY→
11A
Jai ___ (4)
Starts with A, ends with IALAI→
15A
Where the Pilgrims first landed in the New World (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECAPE→
19A
Skating gold medalist Oksana (5)
Starts with B, ends with LBAIUL→
21A
Quick look (4)
Starts with P, ends with KPEEK→
22A
Has a tab open, say (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOWES→
23A
Hip-hop's "Puba" and "Daddy I.U."? (11)
Starts with G, ends with SGRANDRAPIDS→
25A
Station near Madison Square Garden, for short (4)
Starts with P, ends with NPENN→
27A
Hung around (8)
Starts with L, ends with DLOITERED→
28A
Remove from the champagne bucket? (10)
Starts with T, ends with ETAKEOFFICE→
30A
"Just kidding!" (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNOT→
31A
Feeling rash? (5)
Starts with I, ends with YITCHY→
34A
Hip-hop artist with the 2019 hit "My Type" (8)
Starts with S, ends with ESAWEETIE→
35A
Crisis involving cartels (7)
Starts with D, ends with RDRUGWAR→
39A
Goes "Vroom!" (5)
Starts with R, ends with SROARS→
41A
Royal title (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESIRE→
42A
Casting a total brat in the school play? (14)
Starts with M, ends with TMAKINGANIMPACT→
45A
Some govt. securities (6)
Starts with T, ends with STNOTES→
49A
___-tempered (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEVEN→
50A
"Super cool!" (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDOPE→
51A
Get ready to take a shot (3)
Starts with A, ends with MAIM→
53A
Ship propeller (5)
Starts with S, ends with WSCREW→
54A
French for "from" (3)
Starts with D, ends with SDES→
55A
Release (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEMIT→
57A
Dante's guide in the "Inferno" (6)
Starts with V, ends with LVIRGIL→
60A
Singer Del Rey (4)
Starts with L, ends with ALANA→
61A
"The score upon which reality is written," per Henry Miller (5)
Starts with C, ends with SCHAOS→
62A
Apps might be seen on one (4)
Starts with M, ends with UMENU→
63A
Sediment, e.g. (7)
Starts with D, ends with TDEPOSIT→
65A
"The co-star of 'Duck Soup' has to be sore after that!"? (19)
Starts with G, ends with EGROUCHOMARXMUSTACHE→
69A
Anonymous guy (7)
Starts with J, ends with EJOHNDOE→
70A
Pauperism, so to speak (4)
Starts with R, ends with SRAGS→
71A
Author of the 2020 memoir "Cubed" (5)
Starts with R, ends with KRUBIK→
73A
"Because I'm the boss!" (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESAYSME→
75A
Pinged online (4)
Starts with I, ends with DIMED→
76A
Condition for which Luvox may be prescribed, in brief (3)
Starts with O, ends with DOCD→
79A
"Wonder Woman" star (5)
Starts with G, ends with TGADOT→
81A
Mountain ___ (3)
Starts with D, ends with WDEW→
82A
Late singer Payne of One Direction (4)
Starts with L, ends with MLIAM→
84A
Modern home of where cuneiform writing originated (4)
Starts with I, ends with QIRAQ→
85A
Way up or way down (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSTAIRS→
87A
"How long have beavers blocked this river?"? (14)
Starts with W, ends with EWHATSTHEDAMAGE→
92A
"As ___ …" (4)
Starts with S, ends with HSUCH→
94A
Earthenware pots (5)
Starts with O, ends with SOLLAS→
95A
Was comparable to (7)
Starts with R, ends with DRIVALED→
96A
Apparel feature that a bandeau lacks (8)
Starts with B, ends with PBRASTRAP→
100A
Function in the role of (5)
Starts with A, ends with SACTAS→
102A
Monk's title (3)
Starts with D, ends with MDOM→
103A
Be crazy about Chicago trains with broken A.C.s? (10)
Starts with L, ends with SLOVEHOTELS→
105A
Much in quantity (8)
Starts with B, ends with PBEAUCOUP→
109A
Baseball family name (4)
Starts with A, ends with UALOU→
110A
Actor Jared (4)
Starts with L, ends with OLETO→
111A
Metric in a competitive family business? (11)
Starts with S, ends with NSALESPERSON→
114A
Prince, e.g. (4)
Starts with H, ends with RHEIR→
115A
In ___ parentis (4)
Starts with L, ends with OLOCO→
117A
Designer Hilfiger (5)
Starts with T, ends with YTOMMY→
118A
Lays turf on (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSODS→
119A
Little twerp (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSNOT→
121A
Head of Slytherin House in the Harry Potter books (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESNAPE→
Down
1D
Subject of the 2018 biopic "On the Basis of Sex," familiarly (3)
Starts with R, ends with GRBG→
2D
Noble title (4)
Starts with E, ends with LEARL→
3D
"Ci vediamo in giro!" (4)
Starts with C, ends with OCIAO→
4D
Getting ready to listen (8)
Starts with T, ends with NTUNINGIN→
5D
Historic district of a city (7)
Starts with O, ends with NOLDTOWN→
6D
Gnarly problem, so to speak (4)
Starts with B, ends with RBEAR→
7D
Architect of Hong Kong's Bank of China Tower (5)
Starts with I, ends with IIMPEI→
8D
Certain hallucinatory experience (8)
Starts with A, ends with PACIDTRIP→
9D
Directed (3)
Starts with L, ends with DLED→
10D
Last word of James Joyce's "Ulysses" (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYES→
11D
Dad, in Korean (4)
Starts with A, ends with AAPPA→
12D
Ingredients in some potato soups (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLEEKS→
13D
Son of Aphrodite (6)
Starts with A, ends with SAENEAS→
14D
"You don't have to tell me" (7)
Starts with I, ends with TIKNOWIT→
15D
Time for a pick-me-up, humorously (12)
Starts with C, ends with KCOFFEEOCLOCK→
16D
Lie ahead (5)
Starts with A, ends with TAWAIT→
17D
Joe of "Home Alone" (5)
Starts with P, ends with IPESCI→
18D
First name in perfumes (5)
Starts with E, ends with EESTEE→
24D
Label anew (5)
Starts with R, ends with GRETAG→
28D
Banks from Los Angeles (4)
Starts with T, ends with ATYRA→
29D
Maidenhair and others (5)
Starts with F, ends with SFERNS→
32D
Common dog command (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECOME→
33D
Chance (3)
Starts with H, ends with PHAP→
35D
Hit up on Instagram, informally (4)
Starts with D, ends with DDMED→
36D
Overnight party with light shows and "cuddle puddles" (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERAVE→
37D
Luau strings (4)
Starts with U, ends with SUKES→
38D
Rock group with the 1992 hit "Creep" (9)
Starts with R, ends with DRADIOHEAD→
40D
Harum-___ (reckless) (6)
Starts with S, ends with MSCARUM→
43D
Untrue (5)
Starts with N, ends with ONOTSO→
44D
Notaro of comedy (3)
Starts with T, ends with GTIG→
46D
Drag-and-drop disposal icon (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTRASH→
47D
Start of a counting rhyme (5)
Starts with E, ends with EEENIE→
48D
Hit with a smack (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSWAT→
52D
Time in a Shakespeare title (9)
Starts with M, ends with RMIDSUMMER→
55D
Former Israeli P.M. Olmert (4)
Starts with E, ends with DEHUD→
56D
Platform for Safari and FaceTime (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMACOS→
57D
Borderline (5)
Starts with V, ends with EVERGE→
58D
"Need You Tonight" band, 1987 (4)
Starts with I, ends with SINXS→
59D
Leave alone (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELETBE→
61D
Arbiters of taste (12)
Starts with C, ends with SCONNOISSEURS→
62D
Polite term of address (4)
Starts with M, ends with MMAAM→
64D
Stamp on an invoice (4)
Starts with P, ends with DPAID→
65D
Implied (5)
Starts with G, ends with TGOTAT→
66D
Valerie Harper title role (5)
Starts with R, ends with ARHODA→
67D
One of three immortal elders in "A Wrinkle in Time" (6)
Starts with M, ends with OMRSWHO→
68D
Dickens's ___ Heep (5)
Starts with U, ends with HURIAH→
74D
Tree whose name sounds like a pronoun (3)
Starts with Y, ends with WYEW→
76D
Word with history or hygiene (4)
Starts with O, ends with LORAL→
77D
Shut up (4)
Starts with C, ends with ECAGE→
78D
Threw out of a contest, informally (4)
Starts with D, ends with DDQED→
80D
Philosopher's pursuit (5)
Starts with T, ends with HTRUTH→
82D
Exam with an argumentative writing section, in brief (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLSAT→
83D
"You know, I can't quite remember" (8)
Starts with I, ends with RITSABLUR→
84D
"Oh geez, the answer was staring me in the face!" (8)
Starts with I, ends with NIMAMORON→
86D
Goes through screen after screen (7)
Starts with S, ends with SSCROLLS→
88D
"Sadly …" (4)
Starts with A, ends with SALAS→
89D
Special attention, for short (3)
Starts with T, ends with CTLC→
90D
Made nice (5)
Starts with D, ends with PDIDUP→
91D
Wading birds (7)
Starts with A, ends with SAVOCETS→
93D
Publicly bash (6)
Starts with H, ends with NHATEON→
96D
Doldrums (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBLAHS→
97D
Lumberjacks' competition (5)
Starts with R, ends with OROLEO→
98D
Walk around, maybe (5)
Starts with A, ends with DAVOID→
99D
Where one might pick up litter (5)
Starts with P, ends with OPETCO→
104D
Burgle (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLOOT→
107D
West Point inst. (4)
Starts with U, ends with AUSMA→
108D
Fanfare (4)
Starts with P, ends with PPOMP→
111D
Like a diamond in a ring (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSET→
112D
Queer identity, in brief (3)
Starts with A, ends with OARO→
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 18, 2025?+
138 clues: 65 Across and 73 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Garrett Chalfin and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Verso's counterpart (RECTO); Alternative to an onion bagel (BIALY); Jai ___ (ALAI).
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.
