Today’s NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 31
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues66
Across33
Down33
ConstructorErik Agard and Brendan Emmett Quigley
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
Couldn't get any higher? (9)
Starts with R, ends with NRATESATEN→
10A
Stamp collector? (4)
Starts with M, ends with LMAIL→
14A
"No need to worry around me" (9)
Starts with I, ends with EIDONTBITE→
15A
To the point that (5)
Starts with U, ends with LUNTIL→
17A
Drawing pad (9)
Starts with A, ends with TARTTABLET→
18A
Opera with the shepherd's song "Io de' sospiri" (5)
Starts with T, ends with ATOSCA→
19A
Brand of oven-baked crackers (8)
Starts with T, ends with STOASTEDS→
20A
Subject of a statue near Liverpool's Cavern Club (6)
Starts with L, ends with NLENNON→
21A
Feel bad (3)
Starts with A, ends with LAIL→
22A
Look over (3)
Starts with E, ends with EEYE→
23A
Not good, but not bad either (3)
Starts with M, ends with DMID→
24A
Azog the Defiler in "The Hobbit," e.g. (3)
Starts with O, ends with CORC→
25A
Leader with a dacha (4)
Starts with T, ends with RTSAR→
27A
It feels like it might never end (3)
Starts with E, ends with NEON→
28A
Reason for penalty shootouts (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETIE→
29A
Rap group with the 1992 #2 hit "Rump Shaker" (13)
Starts with W, ends with TWRECKXNEFFECT→
34A
Don't stop believing (13)
Starts with K, ends with EKEEPHOPEALIVE→
35A
Store with expensive items? (13)
Starts with T, ends with ETREASURETROVE→
36A
One fast with the one-liners (3)
Starts with W, ends with TWIT→
37A
Brooks in Hollywood (3)
Starts with M, ends with LMEL→
38A
Headed (4)
Starts with W, ends with TWENT→
40A
Kinda sorta (3)
Starts with I, ends with HISH→
41A
Cash flow analyst, for short (3)
Starts with C, ends with ACPA→
42A
Cheerful person? (3)
Starts with F, ends with NFAN→
44A
Trig fig. (3)
Starts with C, ends with SCOS→
46A
Schöningen ___, German mine discoveries that may be up to 300,000 years old (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSPEARS→
48A
Instrument in a bell tower (8)
Starts with C, ends with NCARILLON→
50A
Rounded object that's 1-Down with two letters swapped (5)
Starts with T, ends with ATIARA→
51A
Eisenhower was the first president to use it (9)
Starts with M, ends with EMARINEONE→
52A
End of a letter (5)
Starts with S, ends with FSERIF→
53A
1997 animated movie in which John Cusack voiced Dimitri (9)
Starts with A, ends with AANASTASIA→
54A
"Hurry!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSTAT→
55A
Part of a surveillance system (9)
Starts with V, ends with DVIDEOFEED→
Down
1D
Rounded object that's 50-Across with two letters swapped (5)
Starts with R, ends with ARIATA→
3D
That's a good one! (15)
Starts with T, ends with TTOTALSWEETHEART→
4D
Canalplasty docs (4)
Starts with E, ends with SENTS→
5D
Some capitol workers, for short (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSTATEREPS→
6D
Monk's home (5)
Starts with A, ends with YABBEY→
7D
El Niño feature (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETILDE→
8D
"Vous ___ ici" (4)
Starts with E, ends with SETES→
9D
Bring home (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNET→
10D
Not making a sound (5)
Starts with M, ends with DMUTED→
11D
Nobody in particular, in brief (4)
Starts with A, ends with NANON→
12D
"There's no doubt who's going to win" (15)
Starts with I, ends with EITSNOTEVENCLOSE→
13D
Flavor of some cough drops (8)
Starts with L, ends with ELICORICE→
16D
Surgical tool with a namesake medical journal (6)
Starts with L, ends with TLANCET→
20D
In a row (6)
Starts with L, ends with RLINEAR→
23D
"Boulevard des Capucines" painter (5)
Starts with M, ends with TMONET→
26D
Sphere (4)
Starts with A, ends with AAREA→
30D
Born losers (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCHUMPS→
31D
It's nicknamed "Land of the Morning Calm" (5)
Starts with K, ends with AKOREA→
32D
Arrived at via plane (9)
Starts with F, ends with OFLOWNINTO→
33D
Count on one's fingers? (4)
Starts with F, ends with EFIVE→
34D
Word after Rice or Cocoa (8)
Starts with K, ends with SKRISPIES→
35D
Senegalese ___ (hairstyle) (6)
Starts with T, ends with STWISTS→
39D
Canadian coin, informally (6)
Starts with T, ends with ETOONIE→
41D
Mastery (5)
Starts with C, ends with TCRAFT→
42D
F in physics (5)
Starts with F, ends with DFARAD→
43D
Stand up (5)
Starts with A, ends with EARISE→
45D
Golf's "Slammin' Sammy" (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSNEAD→
47D
"The soul of opera," per Richard Strauss (4)
Starts with A, ends with AARIA→
48D
"Do you mind?" (4)
Starts with C, ends with ICANI→
49D
Idly look (through) (4)
Starts with L, ends with FLEAF→
51D
American Airlines Center player, for short (3)
Starts with M, ends with VMAV→
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 31, 2026?+
66 clues: 33 Across and 33 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Erik Agard and Brendan Emmett Quigley and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Couldn't get any higher? (RATESATEN); Stamp collector? (MAIL); "No need to worry around me" (IDONTBITE).
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.
