NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 5, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across39
Down39
ConstructorChase Dittrich
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
Write on stone, maybe (4)
Starts with E, ends with HETCH→
5A
Request at the bottom of an invitation (4)
Starts with R, ends with PRSVP→
9A
Follower of Jah, informally (5)
Starts with R, ends with ARASTA→
14A
"Me neither" (4)
Starts with N, ends with INORI→
15A
Great Plains tribe (4)
Starts with O, ends with EOTOE→
16A
Set of moral principles (5)
Starts with E, ends with CETHIC→
17A
Famous ___ cookies (4)
Starts with A, ends with SAMOS→
18A
Downfall in pinball (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTILT→
19A
Course for future therapists, for short (5)
Starts with P, ends with HPSYCH→
20A
Spot to work out knotted muscles (12)
Starts with M, ends with EMASSAGETABLE→
23A
U.F.O. occupants, in brief (3)
Starts with E, ends with SETS→
25A
Reach quickly, as a conclusion (6)
Starts with L, ends with OLEAPTO→
29A
Internet meme feline (6)
Starts with L, ends with TLOLCAT→
31A
"___ your mouth!" (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSHUT→
33A
Stadium cheer (3)
Starts with R, ends with HRAH→
34A
Holiday at the end of Ramadan, informally (3)
Starts with E, ends with DEID→
35A
Memphis barbecue staple (9)
Starts with S, ends with SSPARERIBS→
37A
Military rank above cpl. (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSGT→
38A
Tusked animals (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBOARS→
39A
Squiggle shape (3)
Starts with E, ends with SESS→
40A
Key to Aladdin's success (9)
Starts with M, ends with PMAGICLAMP→
42A
___ Paulo, Brazil (3)
Starts with S, ends with OSAO→
43A
Before, poetically (3)
Starts with E, ends with EERE→
44A
Acorn growers (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOAKS→
45A
Dress seen at Oktoberfest (6)
Starts with D, ends with LDIRNDL→
48A
Black ___ (some spiders) (6)
Starts with W, ends with SWIDOWS→
50A
Mental cloud (3)
Starts with F, ends with GFOG→
51A
Drag performer's accessory (3)
Starts with B, ends with ABOA→
52A
56A
Singer Baker (5)
Starts with A, ends with AANITA→
59A
When Fantine sings "I Dreamed a Dream" in "Les Misérables" (4)
Starts with A, ends with IACTI→
60A
Block toy with its own chain of theme parks (4)
Starts with L, ends with OLEGO→
61A
Bathroom door sign (5)
Starts with W, ends with NWOMEN→
62A
Occasion for a teen to rent a tux (4)
Starts with P, ends with MPROM→
63A
Spot for a wolf pack (4)
Starts with L, ends with RLAIR→
64A
Weapon in a scabbard (5)
Starts with S, ends with DSWORD→
65A
Manager of an apt. bldg. (4)
Starts with S, ends with ESUPE→
66A
Squeaks (by) (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEKES→
Down
1D
Tooth covering (6)
Starts with E, ends with LENAMEL→
2D
Fruit, botanically, that's treated as a vegetable (6)
Starts with T, ends with OTOMATO→
3D
One way to sit while meditating (11)
Starts with C, ends with DCROSSLEGGED→
4D
Snake's warning (4)
Starts with H, ends with SHISS→
5D
Cheap hooch (6)
Starts with R, ends with TROTGUT→
6D
___ Larsson, author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" (5)
Starts with S, ends with GSTIEG→
7D
Bygone electric Chevy (4)
Starts with V, ends with TVOLT→
8D
Org. that advocates for "cruelty-free" products (4)
Starts with P, ends with APETA→
9D
Filled to the gills (7)
Starts with R, ends with EREPLETE→
10D
Completely lost (5)
Starts with A, ends with AATSEA→
11D
Not likely to make the first move, say (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSHY→
12D
Unconscious mannerism (3)
Starts with T, ends with CTIC→
13D
German outburst (3)
Starts with A, ends with HACH→
21D
Slightly (4)
Starts with A, ends with DATAD→
22D
Things you might see when you're not wearing glasses (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBLURS→
26D
Escape from jail (11)
Starts with P, ends with KPRISONBREAK→
27D
Clickables at the top of a computer screen (4)
Starts with T, ends with STABS→
28D
Exclamations of surprise (3)
Starts with O, ends with SOHS→
30D
Commercial lead-in to card (4)
Starts with C, ends with ICITI→
31D
Inundates with junk mail (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSPAMS→
32D
Musical instrument in the Guinness logo (4)
Starts with H, ends with PHARP→
35D
Luxuriate in a bathtub (4)
Starts with S, ends with KSOAK→
36D
"___ Window" (4)
Starts with R, ends with RREAR→
37D
South Asian dress (4)
Starts with S, ends with ISARI→
38D
Nonchalant (5)
Starts with B, ends with EBLASE→
40D
Kitten's call (3)
Starts with M, ends with WMEW→
41D
Ranch worker (7)
Starts with C, ends with DCOWHAND→
42D
[Oh, well] (4)
Starts with S, ends with HSIGH→
45D
Serve a jail sentence (6)
Starts with D, ends with EDOTIME→
46D
Dance craze of the 2010s (6)
Starts with D, ends with EDOUGIE→
47D
Hercules had 12 of these (6)
Starts with L, ends with SLABORS→
49D
Playful aquatic animal (5)
Starts with O, ends with ROTTER→
50D
Camera lens setting (5)
Starts with F, ends with PFSTOP→
53D
Emulates Big Boi and Lil' Kim (4)
Starts with R, ends with SRAPS→
54D
Light beige (4)
Starts with E, ends with UECRU→
55D
Woods of "Legally Blonde" (4)
Starts with E, ends with EELLE→
56D
Reactions to something adorable (3)
Starts with A, ends with SAWS→
57D
"Immediately!" (3)
Starts with N, ends with WNOW→
58D
"If you ask me …," to a texter (3)
Starts with I, ends with OIMO→
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 5, 2026?+
78 clues: 39 Across and 39 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Chase Dittrich and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Write on stone, maybe (ETCH); Request at the bottom of an invitation (RSVP); Follower of Jah, informally (RASTA).
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.
