NYT Crossword hints and answer for May 31, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues72
Across34
Down38
ConstructorAdam Aaronson and Ricky Cruz
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
Where one might have a mic and a Michelob (10)
Starts with K, ends with RKARAOKEBAR→
11A
Edgar Degas's "Miss ___ at the Cirque Fernando" (4)
Starts with L, ends with ALALA→
15A
"Been there!" (10)
Starts with I, ends with EICANRELATE→
16A
Member of BTS or Blackpink, e.g. (4)
Starts with I, ends with LIDOL→
17A
What may rise over a range (10)
Starts with B, ends with HBACKSPLASH→
18A
Let off (4)
Starts with E, ends with TEMIT→
19A
Spotted cat (6)
Starts with O, ends with TOCELOT→
20A
Response to "Who's going?" (3)
Starts with I, ends with MIAM→
22A
Plural suffix (3)
Starts with I, ends with MISM→
24A
Symbol of rebirth in ancient Egypt (10)
Starts with D, ends with EDUNGBEETLE→
28A
Gives birth to (3)
Starts with H, ends with SHAS→
29A
Subatomic particle named after an Indian physicist (5)
Starts with B, ends with NBOSON→
30A
Overdo a celebration, maybe (5)
Starts with G, ends with TGLOAT→
31A
Underline? (5)
Starts with S, ends with RSEWER→
32A
Count Vronsky's titular lover in a classic Tolstoy novel (4)
Starts with A, ends with AANNA→
33A
Leaves the rest? (7)
Starts with A, ends with SAWAKENS→
36A
Eponym of Pittsburgh's tallest building (7)
Starts with U, ends with LUSSTEEL→
39A
Country whose predominant language is Bambara (4)
Starts with M, ends with IMALI→
40A
___ Grape, Leonardo DiCaprio's role in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" (5)
Starts with A, ends with EARNIE→
41A
Minor key? (5)
Starts with I, ends with TISLET→
43A
Churro covering (5)
Starts with S, ends with RSUGAR→
44A
Ride-or-die sort, in brief (3)
Starts with B, ends with FBFF→
47A
Participant in a hybrid sport that requires both brains and brawn (10)
Starts with C, ends with RCHESSBOXER→
49A
Ski resort in the White River National Forest (4)
Starts with V, ends with LVAIL→
50A
Chip maker in a 1961 merger (3)
Starts with L, ends with YLAY→
51A
Discipline (3)
Starts with A, ends with TART→
52A
Most populous California city with a one-word name (6)
Starts with F, ends with OFRESNO→
54A
Male influencer archetype (4)
Starts with E, ends with YEBOY→
56A
Where camels can occasionally be seen swimming (10)
Starts with A, ends with AARABIANSEA→
59A
Kind of juice that's high in antioxidants (4)
Starts with A, ends with EALOE→
60A
What the "T" in CAPTCHA stands for (10)
Starts with T, ends with TTURINGTEST→
61A
Set components (4)
Starts with R, ends with SREPS→
62A
Culturally relevant (10)
Starts with Z, ends with YZEITGEISTY→
Down
2D
Traditional wood for a ukulele (6)
Starts with A, ends with AACACIA→
3D
500 people? (6)
Starts with R, ends with SRACERS→
4D
___ sock (5)
Starts with A, ends with EANKLE→
5D
Words after a guesstimate (4)
Starts with O, ends with OORSO→
6D
Repressed (8)
Starts with K, ends with NKEPTDOWN→
7D
Likely spot for a pipe jam (3)
Starts with E, ends with LELL→
8D
Call repeated in a nursery rhyme (3)
Starts with B, ends with ABAA→
9D
Something found next to a handle (6)
Starts with A, ends with NATSIGN→
10D
Bring up to modern standards, say (5)
Starts with R, ends with BREHAB→
11D
Fake account (3)
Starts with L, ends with ELIE→
12D
Pass words? (8)
Starts with A, ends with EADMITONE→
13D
Subject of the 2023 TV series "My Adventures With Superman" (8)
Starts with L, ends with ELOISLANE→
14D
Genre for Soundgarden and Linkin Park (8)
Starts with A, ends with LALTMETAL→
21D
Part of a gig (3)
Starts with M, ends with GMEG→
25D
Exercises (4)
Starts with U, ends with SUSES→
26D
Eur. land with more than 60,000 miles of coast (3)
Starts with N, ends with RNOR→
29D
Competition with some defining moments? (3)
Starts with B, ends with EBEE→
31D
Hits high in the air (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSKIES→
33D
Stern question after laying out expectations (8)
Starts with A, ends with RAMICLEAR→
34D
Not likely to leave a mark, say (8)
Starts with W, ends with EWASHABLE→
35D
Two-person shot (8)
Starts with A, ends with PALLEYOOP→
37D
Downing, with "down" (8)
Starts with S, ends with GSNARFING→
38D
Sean Connery or Mick Jagger, e.g. (3)
Starts with S, ends with RSIR→
40D
Kind of cable in a car, for short (3)
Starts with A, ends with XAUX→
42D
Rod's employer in "Get Out," in brief (3)
Starts with T, ends with ATSA→
43D
"I couldn't agree more!" (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESOTRUE→
44D
They often end on a low note (6)
Starts with B, ends with SBASSES→
45D
Top-shelf, say (6)
Starts with F, ends with TFINEST→
46D
Air-filled pool item (6)
Starts with F, ends with YFLOATY→
48D
Toy doll brand since 2001 (5)
Starts with B, ends with ZBRATZ→
49D
Twenty, in Italian (5)
Starts with V, ends with IVENTI→
53D
All the ___ (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERAGE→
55D
Wry response to a this-or-that question (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYES→
57D
R&B singer Lennox (3)
Starts with A, ends with IARI→
58D
0 or 1 (3)
Starts with B, ends with TBIT→
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 31, 2025?+
72 clues: 34 Across and 38 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Adam Aaronson and Ricky Cruz and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Where one might have a mic and a Michelob (KARAOKEBAR); Edgar Degas's "Miss ___ at the Cirque Fernando" (LALA); "Been there!" (ICANRELATE).
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.
