NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 21, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across39
Down39
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
1A
Gossiped-about duo (4)
Starts with I, ends with MITEM→
5A
River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENILE→
9A
Animal that expresses anger by spitting (5)
Starts with L, ends with ALLAMA→
14A
Curbside call (4)
Starts with T, ends with ITAXI→
15A
Egg's outline (4)
Starts with O, ends with LOVAL→
16A
Traditional Vietnamese garment whose name means "long shirt" (5)
Starts with A, ends with IAODAI→
17A
2000 Eminem single with lines from his "biggest fan" (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSTAN→
18A
St. Benedict, for one (4)
Starts with M, ends with KMONK→
19A
Central meeting points (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNODES→
20A
timiL (12)
Starts with B, ends with PBACKWARDSCAP→
23A
50¢ or $1: Abbr. (3)
Starts with A, ends with TAMT→
24A
Fish more formally known as a batomorph (3)
Starts with R, ends with YRAY→
25A
Capital of Portugal, to natives (6)
Starts with L, ends with ALISBOA→
29A
Crown of jewels (6)
Starts with D, ends with MDIADEM→
31A
Penultimate Greek letter (3)
Starts with P, ends with IPSI→
33A
One of four seen on Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man" (3)
Starts with A, ends with MARM→
34A
Goat's cry (3)
Starts with M, ends with AMAA→
35A
Golfer's suppor- (9)
Starts with C, ends with ECUTOFFTEE→
38A
Move like a fox (5)
Starts with S, ends with KSKULK→
40A
Get a lode of this! (3)
Starts with O, ends with EORE→
41A
John from Britain (5)
Starts with E, ends with NELTON→
42A
Evade (9)
Starts with M, ends with TMINISKIRT→
44A
"Bad" beginning (3)
Starts with M, ends with LMAL→
45A
Like news that everyone already knows (3)
Starts with O, ends with DOLD→
46A
Legal boundaries? (3)
Starts with E, ends with SELS→
47A
Kind of cat with a black-and-white coat (6)
Starts with T, ends with OTUXEDO→
50A
More melted, as a marshmallow (6)
Starts with G, ends with RGOOIER→
53A
Tree alongside a ski run (3)
Starts with F, ends with RFIR→
54A
Bro, e.g. (3)
Starts with S, ends with BSIB→
55A
P | u | n | c | h | e | s (12)
Starts with S, ends with SSTRIPEDSOCKS→
59A
Sound of a perfect basketball shot (5)
Starts with S, ends with HSWISH→
62A
"Beware the ___ of a patient man": John Dryden (4)
Starts with F, ends with YFURY→
63A
Ordered (4)
Starts with B, ends with EBADE→
64A
Increase, as interest (5)
Starts with P, ends with EPIQUE→
65A
German Ms. (4)
Starts with F, ends with UFRAU→
66A
Pupil's surroundings (4)
Starts with I, ends with SIRIS→
67A
Environmentalist Adams (5)
Starts with A, ends with LANSEL→
68A
Site for many stars? (4)
Starts with Y, ends with PYELP→
69A
Sounds of disapproval (4)
Starts with T, ends with STSKS→
Down
1D
Short negative review (6)
Starts with I, ends with DITSBAD→
2D
Floor covering in a Japanese tearoom (6)
Starts with T, ends with ITATAMI→
3D
"Bingo!" (11)
Starts with E, ends with OEXACTAMUNDO→
4D
Stole material (4)
Starts with M, ends with KMINK→
5D
Southern denial (6)
Starts with N, ends with MNOMAAM→
6D
Something tickled on a piano (5)
Starts with I, ends with YIVORY→
7D
"Buy ___. They're not making it anymore" (old saying) (4)
Starts with L, ends with DLAND→
8D
Philanthropic group with a clock face in its logo (4)
Starts with E, ends with SELKS→
9D
The so-called "Pineapple Isle" (5)
Starts with L, ends with ILANAI→
10D
Goes around and around (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLOOPS→
11D
Make sense, with "up" (3)
Starts with A, ends with DADD→
12D
"Maggie ___," classic folk song covered by the Beatles (3)
Starts with M, ends with EMAE→
13D
ChatGPT, Claude, etc. (3)
Starts with A, ends with SAIS→
21D
Inflicts (6)
Starts with W, ends with SWREAKS→
22D
Muse of history (4)
Starts with C, ends with OCLIO→
26D
Lasting damage from a tough experience, metaphorically (11)
Starts with B, ends with SBATTLESCARS→
27D
Milkshake flavor (4)
Starts with O, ends with OOREO→
28D
Gospel shout (4)
Starts with A, ends with NAMEN→
30D
"Fountain of Milk Spreading Itself Uselessly on Three Shoes" painter, 1945 (4)
Starts with D, ends with IDALI→
31D
Contented sounds (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPURRS→
32D
"Changed my mind," in editing notation (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSTET→
36D
Hip-knee connectors (6)
Starts with F, ends with SFEMURS→
37D
Source of linseed oil (4)
Starts with F, ends with XFLAX→
38D
It's all a haze (4)
Starts with S, ends with GSMOG→
39D
Drug bust unit (4)
Starts with K, ends with OKILO→
43D
Model Miranda (4)
Starts with K, ends with RKERR→
47D
Make neat (6)
Starts with T, ends with PTIDYUP→
48D
Large-eyed African antelope with a duplicative name (6)
Starts with D, ends with KDIKDIK→
49D
Fixate (6)
Starts with O, ends with SOBSESS→
51D
Give out (5)
Starts with I, ends with EISSUE→
52D
Neighbor of Ricky and Lucy, on 1950s TV (5)
Starts with E, ends with LETHEL→
53D
Far from house-trained (5)
Starts with F, ends with LFERAL→
58D
End piece? (4)
Starts with O, ends with TOBIT→
59D
Belinda's business on "The White Lotus" (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASPA→
60D
Prevail (3)
Starts with W, ends with NWIN→
61D
Some test figs. (3)
Starts with I, ends with SIQS→
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, 2026?+
78 clues: 39 Across and 39 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: Gossiped-about duo (ITEM); River whose southernmost source is found in Burundi (NILE); Animal that expresses anger by spitting (LLAMA).
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.
