NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 17, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues68
Across36
Down32
ConstructorKaren Steinberg
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
What a comment might be made in (4)
Starts with J, ends with TJEST→
5A
Plant often confused with algae (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMOSS→
9A
"The Craft" (5)
Starts with W, ends with AWICCA→
14A
Pulitzer-winning historian and journalist Applebaum (4)
Starts with A, ends with EANNE→
15A
Understanding response (4)
Starts with I, ends with EISEE→
16A
Amazon smart speakers (5)
Starts with E, ends with SECHOS→
17A
British singer with the top 10 albums "Crash" and "Brat" (9)
Starts with C, ends with XCHARLIXCX→
19A
Some suitors (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBEAUS→
20A
Sets in motion (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCAUSES→
21A
Sake, for one (8)
Starts with R, ends with ERICEWINE→
23A
Not fixed, as a stone (5)
Starts with U, ends with TUNSET→
24A
Drinking game with projectiles (9)
Starts with B, ends with SBEERDARTS→
25A
Sign of healing (4)
Starts with S, ends with RSCAR→
26A
New service member (7)
Starts with R, ends with TRECRUIT→
27A
Mental image, for short? (3)
Starts with E, ends with GEEG→
28A
Fun-size, so to speak (4)
Starts with T, ends with YTINY→
31A
First releases (6)
Starts with D, ends with SDEBUTS→
33A
Taking out the trash and others (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCHORES→
35A
Lab liquids (4)
Starts with S, ends with ASERA→
36A
Max ___, boxer nicknamed "Madcap Maxie" (4)
Starts with B, ends with RBAER→
37A
Corn ___ (snack misnomer) (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNUT→
39A
Longtime Nestlé candy brand (7)
Starts with S, ends with SSNOCAPS→
41A
Arizona tribe with matrilineal clans (4)
Starts with H, ends with IHOPI→
42A
1992 Whoopi Goldberg comedy (9)
Starts with S, ends with TSISTERACT→
45A
Survived, so to speak (5)
Starts with C, ends with DCOPED→
46A
Portmanteau for evidence based solely on personal accounts (8)
Starts with A, ends with AANECDATA→
47A
Popular name of the 1958 Italian hit "Nel Blu, Dipinto di Blu" (6)
Starts with V, ends with EVOLARE→
48A
___ month (5)
Starts with L, ends with RLUNAR→
49A
Act of writing down whatever comes to mind in order to clear mental clutter (9)
Starts with B, ends with PBRAINDUMP→
52A
Biblical locale in a Steinbeck title (4)
Starts with E, ends with NEDEN→
53A
Golfer Aoki (4)
Starts with I, ends with OISAO→
54A
Rationed (out) (5)
Starts with M, ends with DMETED→
56A
Gravitate (4)
Starts with T, ends with DTEND→
Down
1D
Historic Émile Zola letter of 1898 (7)
Starts with J, ends with EJACCUSE→
2D
Improved (8)
Starts with E, ends with DENHANCED→
3D
Meaty dog treats "in a blanket" (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSNAUSAGES→
4D
Less prolix (6)
Starts with T, ends with RTERSER→
5D
Customizable Nintendo avatars (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMIIS→
6D
Mac platform renamed in 2016 (3)
Starts with O, ends with XOSX→
7D
Condition of discretion (7)
Starts with S, ends with YSECRECY→
8D
More seductive (6)
Starts with S, ends with RSEXIER→
9D
One managing online content (9)
Starts with W, ends with RWEBEDITOR→
10D
Drink that comes with free refills (8)
Starts with I, ends with RICEWATER→
11D
Word with easy or high (5)
Starts with C, ends with RCHAIR→
12D
Matter (5)
Starts with C, ends with TCOUNT→
13D
Insufferable sorts (5)
Starts with A, ends with SASSES→
18D
Court call (3)
Starts with L, ends with TLET→
22D
Handles beautifully, in slang (7)
Starts with C, ends with SCRUSHES→
24D
Bills worth 100 buckaroos (4)
Starts with B, ends with SBENS→
26D
British singer with the hits "R.I.P." and "Radioactive" (7)
Starts with R, ends with ARITAORA→
28D
Showed embarrassment, say (9)
Starts with T, ends with DTURNEDRED→
30D
Event typically occurring in one's late 40s or early 50s (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMENOPAUSE→
32D
Hoped-for scenario (8)
Starts with B, ends with EBESTCASE→
33D
America, for one: Abbr. (4)
Starts with C, ends with TCAPT→
34D
DC figure since 1938 (8)
Starts with S, ends with NSUPERMAN→
36D
Brand of rum mentioned in Hemingway novels (7)
Starts with B, ends with IBACARDI→
38D
Certain unit of detergent (7)
Starts with T, ends with DTIDEPOD→
40D
Pet gear often eschewed in favor of someone's lap (6)
Starts with C, ends with DCATBED→
41D
"Stop the presses!" (6)
Starts with H, ends with THOLDIT→
42D
Capital that's home to the oldest university in the Western U.S. (1842) (5)
Starts with S, ends with MSALEM→
43D
Habituate (5)
Starts with I, ends with EINURE→
44D
Upper house of the French parliament (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSENAT→
45D
With, in Spanish (3)
Starts with C, ends with NCON→
47D
Plant on a pergola (4)
Starts with V, ends with EVINE→
50D
___ Lingus (3)
Starts with A, ends with RAER→
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 17, 2025?+
68 clues: 36 Across and 32 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Karen Steinberg and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: What a comment might be made in (JEST); Plant often confused with algae (MOSS); "The Craft" (WICCA).
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.
