NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 2, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues70
Across35
Down35
ConstructorJoe Marquez
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
Important figure on staff? (4)
Starts with C, ends with FCLEF→
5A
Photographer's inits. (3)
Starts with S, ends with RSLR→
8A
"For real" (5)
Starts with T, ends with YTRULY→
13A
Funky-smelling (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERIPE→
14A
Sugar substitute? (10)
Starts with S, ends with ESWEETIEPIE→
16A
Within (4)
Starts with A, ends with DAMID→
17A
Core-focused workout in a humid room (10)
Starts with H, ends with SHOTPILATES→
18A
Unit of sound intensity (3)
Starts with B, ends with LBEL→
19A
Like Mitt Romney and Ken Jennings (6)
Starts with M, ends with NMORMON→
20A
Lead-in to "coin" for a major cryptocurrency (4)
Starts with D, ends with EDOGE→
21A
"Whew!" (8)
Starts with C, ends with ECLOSEONE→
23A
Whose fault your mistake might be (6)
Starts with N, ends with SNOONES→
25A
Hybrid cat (5)
Starts with L, ends with RLIGER→
26A
Member of a noble family (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSCION→
28A
Request after eating a habanero, perhaps (4)
Starts with A, ends with AAGUA→
29A
What comes from needing little, per Epictetus (6)
Starts with W, ends with HWEALTH→
31A
Small dosage amts. (3)
Starts with M, ends with SMGS→
34A
Question posed at the end of a successful job interview (15)
Starts with W, ends with TWHENCANYOUSTART→
37A
Waze ways: Abbr. (3)
Starts with S, ends with SSTS→
38A
Spends a long time in front of the mirror, maybe (6)
Starts with P, ends with SPRIMPS→
39A
Inkling (4)
Starts with I, ends with AIDEA→
40A
Word with cane or corn (5)
Starts with C, ends with YCANDY→
41A
Villainous expression (5)
Starts with S, ends with RSNEER→
42A
Home to the Basilica of St. Clare (6)
Starts with A, ends with IASSISI→
45A
Highly controlling? (8)
Starts with P, ends with GPILOTING→
48A
Like a golf course, regularly (4)
Starts with M, ends with NMOWN→
49A
Snap, crackle and pop (6)
Starts with N, ends with SNOISES→
51A
___ Cup, tournament established in the 2020s (3)
Starts with N, ends with ANBA→
52A
"Never been better!" (10)
Starts with I, ends with TIFEELGREAT→
54A
Site of a 1956 international conflict (4)
Starts with S, ends with ZSUEZ→
55A
Animal chased by Toto in "The Wizard of Oz" (10)
Starts with S, ends with TSIAMESECAT→
56A
Key in a chain (4)
Starts with I, ends with EISLE→
57A
Figure with three faces, in Dante (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSATAN→
58A
Brief bit (3)
Starts with S, ends with CSEC→
59A
They're stretched out before some workouts (4)
Starts with M, ends with SMATS→
Down
1D
Hard-shelled delicacies (9)
Starts with C, ends with SCRABCLAWS→
2D
Public eye (9)
Starts with L, ends with TLIMELIGHT→
3D
Written posts? (9)
Starts with E, ends with SEPILOGUES→
4D
Stoked (3)
Starts with F, ends with DFED→
5D
Like some enemies (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSWORN→
6D
"I need to get a word in!" (15)
Starts with L, ends with ELETMESAYMYPIECE→
7D
Possible result of a default (4)
Starts with R, ends with OREPO→
8D
Before (3)
Starts with T, ends with LTIL→
9D
Not stop at the end of a chapter, say (6)
Starts with R, ends with NREADON→
10D
Suffragist Harriet Taylor ___ (5)
Starts with U, ends with NUPTON→
11D
One doing the lord's work? (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELIEGE→
12D
Words of affirmation (5)
Starts with Y, ends with SYESES→
14D
"Skedaddle!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with OSHOO→
15D
Condition that can be caused by excess earwax (8)
Starts with T, ends with STINNITUS→
19D
Debussy's "La ___" (3)
Starts with M, ends with RMER→
22D
Jay ___, singer of the 2009 #1 hit "Down" (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSEAN→
24D
Sounds from fans (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOOHS→
27D
Clip follower (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCLOP→
29D
Some weather service messages (8)
Starts with W, ends with SWARNINGS→
30D
"Wheat Capital" of Oklahoma (4)
Starts with E, ends with DENID→
31D
Label on some domestic products (9)
Starts with M, ends with AMADEINUSA→
32D
Eco-friendly area around a city (9)
Starts with G, ends with TGREENBELT→
33D
Stares into space (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSTARGAZES→
35D
Ones doing balancing acts? (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCPAS→
36D
Windows feature? (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTINT→
40D
Pictures (6)
Starts with C, ends with ACINEMA→
41D
Message that might be signaled with smoke (3)
Starts with S, ends with SSOS→
43D
European capital with layers of Thracian, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman history (5)
Starts with S, ends with ASOFIA→
44D
Beads for an athlete (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSWEAT→
46D
Director Lee ___ Chung (5)
Starts with I, ends with CISAAC→
47D
Neighbor of an Estonian, historically (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLETT→
50D
They're sometimes picked for their rarity (4)
Starts with O, ends with SORES→
53D
Wiseman who directed "Ballerina" and "Live Free or Die Hard" (3)
Starts with L, ends with NLEN→
54D
___City (3)
Starts with S, ends with MSIM→
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 2, 2026?+
70 clues: 35 Across and 35 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Joe Marquez and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Important figure on staff? (CLEF); Photographer's inits. (SLR); "For real" (TRULY).
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.
