NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 16, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues68
Across29
Down39
ConstructorAdam Shapiro
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 strip or skirt (5)
Starts with S, ends with KSTEAK→
6A
Conniption (3)
Starts with F, ends with TFIT→
9A
Cuban poet/philosopher José (5)
Starts with M, ends with IMARTI→
14A
17A
Mail-centric fiction? (15)
Starts with E, ends with LEPISTOLARYNOVEL→
18A
Virginia is in it, in brief (3)
Starts with A, ends with CACC→
19A
"Hah!" (7)
Starts with S, ends with ESOTHERE→
20A
"___ had it!" (3)
Starts with I, ends with EIVE→
21A
Former home of Mr. and Mrs. Met (4)
Starts with S, ends with ASHEA→
23A
"The Mary Tyler Moore Show" spinoff (5)
Starts with R, ends with ARHODA→
25A
Spiller of tea (5)
Starts with Y, ends with AYENTA→
27A
Smelling things? (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSALTS→
28A
Date night viewing, often (13)
Starts with F, ends with EFEELGOODMOVIE→
34A
High concept? (9)
Starts with C, ends with ECLOUDNINE→
35A
They explain what's in the cards (13)
Starts with T, ends with STAROTREADINGS→
39A
Comic strip sound of impact (5)
Starts with K, ends with WKAPOW→
40A
Infant discomfort (5)
Starts with C, ends with CCOLIC→
42A
Battery-powered string instrument player (4)
Starts with E, ends with WEBOW→
43A
Predicated (5)
Starts with B, ends with DBASED→
48A
It has its highs and lows (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETIDE→
49A
Rocky openings? (3)
Starts with Y, ends with SYOS→
50A
Burrowing animal whose name is made up of two other animals (7)
Starts with M, ends with TMOLERAT→
52A
It may begin with a +1: Abbr. (3)
Starts with T, ends with LTEL→
53A
Idolizes (15)
Starts with P, ends with LPUTSONAPEDESTAL→
56A
Indiana Jones or Rocky Balboa, e.g. (15)
Starts with A, ends with OALLAMERICANHERO→
57A
Losing causes? (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDIETS→
58A
Yoga ___ (3)
Starts with M, ends with TMAT→
59A
The 22nd Amendment limits them (5)
Starts with T, ends with STERMS→
Down
1D
"Piece of cake!" (6)
Starts with S, ends with YSOEASY→
2D
Reality show whose contestants report to the Judge's Table (7)
Starts with T, ends with FTOPCHEF→
3D
Not gendered (7)
Starts with E, ends with EEPICENE→
5D
Some emergency resources (4)
Starts with K, ends with SKITS→
6D
Serious dirt (5)
Starts with F, ends with HFILTH→
7D
State whose official fruit is the huckleberry (5)
Starts with I, ends with OIDAHO→
8D
Done to death (5)
Starts with T, ends with DTIRED→
9D
Flow down the neck (4)
Starts with M, ends with EMANE→
10D
Past word (3)
Starts with A, ends with OAGO→
11D
Hot pockets? (7)
Starts with R, ends with IRAVIOLI→
12D
20-20, e.g. (7)
Starts with T, ends with ETIEVOTE→
13D
Small sounds (6)
Starts with I, ends with SINLETS→
15D
One of 412 in the White House (4)
Starts with D, ends with RDOOR→
16D
Supermodel Banks (4)
Starts with T, ends with ATYRA→
22D
Took back one's words (7)
Starts with A, ends with WATECROW→
24D
One struggling to make ends meet (7)
Starts with H, ends with THAVENOT→
27D
Foe of Dr. Eggman, in video games (5)
Starts with S, ends with CSONIC→
29D
Procured (3)
Starts with G, ends with TGOT→
30D
"___ Share of Night" (acclaimed 2019 Mariana Enríquez book) (3)
Starts with O, ends with ROUR→
31D
Complimentary lines (3)
Starts with O, ends with EODE→
32D
Tool for tracing family trees (3)
Starts with D, ends with ADNA→
33D
Prefix with the name of any month (3)
Starts with M, ends with DMID→
35D
Mideast salad, in one spelling (7)
Starts with T, ends with ITABOULI→
36D
Simon the Zealot, e.g. (7)
Starts with A, ends with EAPOSTLE→
37D
Sparkly bits in a school art project (7)
Starts with G, ends with RGLITTER→
38D
Like some deliveries (7)
Starts with S, ends with MSIDEARM→
39D
Holder of all the digits, from 1 to 0 (6)
Starts with K, ends with DKEYPAD→
41D
Stage-left orchestra section (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCELLOS→
43D
Coccyx or phalange, e.g. (4)
Starts with B, ends with EBONE→
44D
Unwelcome sound during a dream (5)
Starts with A, ends with MALARM→
45D
Brown tint (5)
Starts with S, ends with ASEPIA→
46D
Construct (5)
Starts with E, ends with TERECT→
47D
Art movement proclaimed in a 1916 manifesto (4)
Starts with D, ends with ADADA→
50D
May honorees (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMOMS→
51D
Outdoor item with flaps (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTENT→
54D
Took a load off (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSAT→
55D
2011 platinum single by Tyler, the Creator (3)
Starts with S, ends with ESHE→
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 October 16, 2026?+
68 clues: 29 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Adam Shapiro and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Word with strip or skirt (STEAK); Conniption (FIT); Cuban poet/philosopher José (MARTI).
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.
