NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 21, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues74
Across35
Down39
ConstructorIlana Levene and Scott Hogan
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
Word with chocolate or computer (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCHIP→
5A
Thompson or Stone of 2021's "Cruella" (4)
Starts with E, ends with AEMMA→
9A
Fragment (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSHARD→
14A
Sci-fi novel with giant sandworms (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDUNE→
15A
Help for a faltering business (4)
Starts with L, ends with NLOAN→
16A
Type of hunter-gatherer diet (5)
Starts with P, ends with OPALEO→
17A
"Smile for the photo, dude!" (9)
Starts with C, ends with GCHEESEDOG→
19A
Able to bend smoothly (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELITHE→
20A
Fragment (6)
Starts with S, ends with RSLIVER→
21A
Mythological instruments of vengeance (6)
Starts with F, ends with SFURIES→
22A
Contractor's pipe material, for short (3)
Starts with P, ends with CPVC→
24A
"Work on your enunciation, bro!" (11)
Starts with D, ends with NDELIVERYMAN→
28A
Little bit of work (3)
Starts with E, ends with GERG→
29A
"The most beautiful deception of all," per Debussy (3)
Starts with A, ends with TART→
30A
Tedious work (4)
Starts with S, ends with GSLOG→
31A
Much social media humor (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMEMES→
33A
"That is messed up, girl!" (13)
Starts with T, ends with RTWISTEDSISTER→
39A
___ and foremost (5)
Starts with F, ends with TFIRST→
40A
Origin crossers (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAXES→
42A
Marshland (3)
Starts with F, ends with NFEN→
45A
Org. whose officers train at Camp Peary (3)
Starts with C, ends with ACIA→
46A
Cause to jump, say (7)
Starts with S, ends with ESTARTLE→
49A
"Protect the quarterback, buddy!" (11)
Starts with B, ends with RBLOCKBUSTER→
52A
Pupil's place (3)
Starts with E, ends with EEYE→
53A
Best way to sing (6)
Starts with I, ends with EINTUNE→
54A
What "sostenuto" means in music (6)
Starts with L, ends with RLONGER→
56A
Cuba ___ (drink) (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELIBRE→
57A
"That's unbelievable, love!" (9)
Starts with W, ends with YWILDHONEY→
60A
Diarist Nin (5)
Starts with A, ends with SANAIS→
61A
Leave out (4)
Starts with O, ends with TOMIT→
62A
Finger (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENAME→
63A
Seems to point to (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBODES→
64A
"Damned if ___ …" (4)
Starts with W, ends with OWEDO→
65A
Put on a schedule (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSLOT→
Down
1D
Atlanta-based govt. agency (3)
Starts with C, ends with CCDC→
2D
"Come again?" (3)
Starts with H, ends with HHUH→
3D
How some funds are held (8)
Starts with I, ends with WINESCROW→
4D
What old paint might do (4)
Starts with P, ends with LPEEL→
5D
Smallest three-syllable number (6)
Starts with E, ends with NELEVEN→
6D
Tin lizzie (6)
Starts with M, ends with TMODELT→
7D
Language in which "Kia ora" means "Hello" (5)
Starts with M, ends with IMAORI→
8D
Director Lee (3)
Starts with A, ends with GANG→
9D
Goes for the expensive option, say (8)
Starts with S, ends with SSPLURGES→
10D
Sticky, as a situation (5)
Starts with H, ends with YHAIRY→
11D
Nissan sedan (6)
Starts with A, ends with AALTIMA→
12D
Try again (6)
Starts with R, ends with RREHEAR→
13D
"That ___ ring a bell" (6)
Starts with D, ends with TDOESNT→
18D
One of two on a record (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESIDE→
21D
Physicist Enrico (5)
Starts with F, ends with IFERMI→
22D
Afterthought's afterthought: Abbr. (3)
Starts with P, ends with SPPS→
23D
Plug-in Chevy (4)
Starts with V, ends with TVOLT→
25D
Geese formations (4)
Starts with V, ends with SVEES→
27D
Cry near quittin' time (4)
Starts with T, ends with FTGIF→
31D
Colorado summer hrs. (3)
Starts with M, ends with TMDT→
32D
Classic cookie cutter shape (4)
Starts with S, ends with RSTAR→
34D
Something feigned by Ferris Bueller to get out of school (8)
Starts with S, ends with SSICKNESS→
35D
Shoshone, e.g. (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETRIBE→
36D
Biblical birthright barterer (4)
Starts with E, ends with UESAU→
37D
Not from within (8)
Starts with E, ends with LEXTERNAL→
38D
Depend (on) (4)
Starts with R, ends with YRELY→
41D
"Get it?" (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESEE→
42D
Forensics HQ in Quantico, Va. (6)
Starts with F, ends with BFBILAB→
43D
Cause of some turbulent weather (6)
Starts with E, ends with OELNINO→
44D
"That's halfway decent!" (6)
Starts with N, ends with DNOTBAD→
46D
Like a good poker face (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSTOLID→
47D
Look after (6)
Starts with T, ends with OTENDTO→
48D
Cry of frustration (4)
Starts with A, ends with HARGH→
50D
Marie who is the only person to win a Nobel Prize in two different science fields (5)
Starts with C, ends with ECURIE→
51D
Ectoplasmic residue (5)
Starts with S, ends with ESLIME→
55D
Many ages (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEONS→
57D
"Mind. Blown." (3)
Starts with W, ends with WWOW→
58D
Brooding music genre (3)
Starts with E, ends with OEMO→
59D
So far (3)
Starts with Y, ends with TYET→
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 21, 2025?+
74 clues: 35 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Ilana Levene and Scott Hogan and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Word with chocolate or computer (CHIP); Thompson or Stone of 2021's "Cruella" (EMMA); Fragment (SHARD).
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.
