NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 23, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues70
Across34
Down36
ConstructorKatie Hoody
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
Have serious plans (8)
Starts with T, ends with GTHINKBIG→
9A
One of the fam (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMOMMA→
14A
Annual appraisal statement (9)
Starts with W, ends with RWHATAYEAR→
15A
Positioned to win (5)
Starts with A, ends with DAHEAD→
16A
Track event won by the fastest four legs (9)
Starts with H, ends with EHORSERACE→
17A
Marvel Comics villain with an explosive superpower (5)
Starts with N, ends with ONITRO→
18A
American court org. (4)
Starts with U, ends with AUSTA→
19A
Ensemble piece (9)
Starts with A, ends with YACCESSORY→
21A
Some sous-chef scraps (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPEELS→
23A
Three-time Olympic figure skating champion (5)
Starts with H, ends with EHENIE→
24A
A.M. cupfuls (3)
Starts with O, ends with SOJS→
26A
Band at a Jimmy Buffett concert? (3)
Starts with L, ends with ILEI→
28A
"America's Largest Classroom" (3)
Starts with P, ends with SPBS→
30A
With whom one pools pounds for quarters (8)
Starts with F, ends with EFLATMATE→
34A
Count to 10, perhaps (7)
Starts with C, ends with FCOOLOFF→
35A
Opposite of proud (7)
Starts with A, ends with DASHAMED→
37A
Get past a paywall, say (5)
Starts with L, ends with NLOGIN→
38A
Boundaries between areas with different amounts of coverage (8)
Starts with T, ends with STANLINES→
40A
Healing agent (4)
Starts with A, ends with EALOE→
41A
Hardly worth mentioning (3)
Starts with M, ends with HMEH→
42A
Counterpoint segue (3)
Starts with Y, ends with TYET→
43A
One who's left at the polls, informally? (3)
Starts with D, ends with MDEM→
44A
Bobby ___, first recipient of the Best New Artist Grammy Award (1960) (5)
Starts with D, ends with NDARIN→
46A
Plague that precedes lice in Exodus (5)
Starts with F, ends with SFROGS→
50A
"Let go of unrealistic expectations," e.g. (9)
Starts with D, ends with PDATINGTIP→
53A
Fabled example of poor competition strategy (4)
Starts with H, ends with EHARE→
54A
Actress Amanda of "Easy A" (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBYNES→
55A
Penalty for exceeding a payroll threshold, in sports lingo (9)
Starts with L, ends with XLUXURYTAX→
57A
Cartoonish bouncing sound (5)
Starts with B, ends with KBOINK→
58A
"Hang on a sec" (9)
Starts with O, ends with TONEMOMENT→
59A
They can help one get a leg up, informally (5)
Starts with Q, ends with SQUADS→
60A
What all the buzz is about? (8)
Starts with W, ends with TWASPNEST→
Down
1D
___ days (times past) (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETHOSE→
2D
Emma ___, protagonist of "A Woman of Substance" (5)
Starts with H, ends with EHARTE→
3D
"Don't believe one word of that!" (10)
Starts with I, ends with EITSALLALIE→
4D
"I'm afraid not, laddie" (3)
Starts with N, ends with ENAE→
5D
Actress Sedgwick (4)
Starts with K, ends with AKYRA→
6D
Word with comb or towel (5)
Starts with B, ends with HBEACH→
7D
"Your offer is too good to refuse" (7)
Starts with I, ends with TIACCEPT→
8D
Minestrone morsel (9)
Starts with G, ends with NGREENBEAN→
9D
Dwelling for clergy (5)
Starts with M, ends with EMANSE→
10D
"The most beautiful river on earth," per Thomas Jefferson (4)
Starts with O, ends with OOHIO→
11D
One may sit near a bench marking time (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMETRONOME→
12D
Strap-and-buckle shoes named for a comic strip character who wore them (9)
Starts with M, ends with SMARYJANES→
13D
Bother (3)
Starts with A, ends with OADO→
14D
Beat but good (4)
Starts with W, ends with PWHUP→
20D
Daughter of one's 9-Across (3)
Starts with S, ends with SSIS→
22D
Firmly committed to (5)
Starts with S, ends with NSETON→
25D
Beat a map app's arrival time estimate, say (4)
Starts with S, ends with DSPED→
27D
Global fiscal policy org. (3)
Starts with I, ends with FIMF→
29D
Poetic device with inexact sound-alikes (10)
Starts with S, ends with ESLANTRHYME→
30D
"Ha! Betcha didn't see that coming!" (9)
Starts with F, ends with UFOOLEDYOU→
31D
Abnormal talkativeness (9)
Starts with L, ends with ALOGOMANIA→
32D
Lingering aura of success (9)
Starts with A, ends with WAFTERGLOW→
33D
Most important (5)
Starts with C, ends with FCHIEF→
34D
"Thou art fairer than the evening air ___ in the beauty of a thousand stars": Marlowe (4)
Starts with C, ends with DCLAD→
36D
Said with a wink, say (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSLY→
39D
Reddish fish sometimes served tartare (7)
Starts with A, ends with AAHITUNA→
41D
"Dang!" (3)
Starts with M, ends with NMAN→
44D
Pieces in the game Othello (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDISKS→
45D
Scraps (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNIXES→
47D
Writer of the story "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?" (5)
Starts with O, ends with SOATES→
48D
Funds for research (5)
Starts with G, ends with TGRANT→
49D
Cellphone hot line? (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSEXT→
51D
Care for (4)
Starts with T, ends with DTEND→
52D
Remedy for deflation (4)
Starts with P, ends with PPUMP→
54D
Kind of joint associated with smoking, informally (3)
Starts with B, ends with QBBQ→
56D
Pulitzer-winning biographer Chernow (3)
Starts with R, ends with NRON→
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 23, 2026?+
70 clues: 34 Across and 36 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Katie Hoody and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Have serious plans (THINKBIG); One of the fam (MOMMA); Annual appraisal statement (WHATAYEAR).
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.
