NYT Crossword hints and answer for October 8, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues74
Across33
Down41
ConstructorRachel Grey and John Kugelman
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
One who might use they/them pronouns, informally (4)
Starts with E, ends with YENBY→
5A
Sensation after getting a tattoo, for some (4)
Starts with I, ends with HITCH→
9A
How low can they go? (5)
Starts with B, ends with IBASSI→
14A
Meteor shower? (9)
Starts with T, ends with ETELESCOPE→
16A
Stay under the covers all morning, to a Brit (5)
Starts with L, ends with NLIEIN→
17A
Taps (15)
Starts with C, ends with TCOUNTERARGUMENT→
19A
Piano exercise (5)
Starts with E, ends with EETUDE→
20A
"It's never paid to ___ against America": Warren Buffett (3)
Starts with B, ends with TBET→
21A
Place-holding letters on a schedule (3)
Starts with T, ends with ATBA→
22A
Browbeaten (5)
Starts with C, ends with DCOWED→
24A
Trams (9)
Starts with R, ends with CRETROCHIC→
27A
In the way of (3)
Starts with A, ends with AALA→
29A
Time to go fast? (4)
Starts with L, ends with TLENT→
30A
Audacious, informally (6)
Starts with B, ends with YBALLSY→
33A
"Midnight Cowboy" con man (5)
Starts with R, ends with ORATSO→
36A
Paws (13)
Starts with F, ends with HFLIPOFASWITCH→
40A
Take a hankie to, say (5)
Starts with D, ends with TDABAT→
41A
Nora who wrote "When Harry Met Sally …" (6)
Starts with E, ends with NEPHRON→
43A
Counterpart of Brahma and Vishnu (4)
Starts with S, ends with ASIVA→
46A
Expand, as dough (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERISE→
48A
Hawaiian fish with a palindromic name (3)
Starts with O, ends with OONO→
49A
Dessert (9)
Starts with H, ends with KHAIRYBACK→
52A
Deciduous tree often found in regions dominated by conifers (5)
Starts with A, ends with NASPEN→
54A
Just a number, they say (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAGE→
55A
Long-lasting birth control option, in brief (3)
Starts with I, ends with DIUD→
56A
Turn over (5)
Starts with U, ends with DUPEND→
58A
Naive regal gnat (15)
Starts with D, ends with DDRINKSALLAROUND→
63A
Creepy (5)
Starts with E, ends with EEERIE→
64A
It separates China and South Korea (9)
Starts with Y, ends with AYELLOWSEA→
65A
Everybody's hands (5)
Starts with D, ends with SDEALS→
66A
Impudence (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSASS→
67A
Stanch (4)
Starts with S, ends with MSTEM→
Down
1D
And so on, in brief (3)
Starts with E, ends with CETC→
2D
Hero famously "red-pilled," in film (3)
Starts with N, ends with ONEO→
3D
Perceived Democratic electoral bloc (8)
Starts with B, ends with LBLUEWALL→
4D
Matchmaker in "Fiddler on the Roof" (5)
Starts with Y, ends with EYENTE→
5D
Like many summertime coffee orders (4)
Starts with I, ends with DICED→
6D
Caped fighter (6)
Starts with T, ends with OTORERO→
7D
Professional who's busiest in Apr. (3)
Starts with C, ends with ACPA→
8D
Tisanes (8)
Starts with H, ends with SHERBTEAS→
9D
Popeye's rival (5)
Starts with B, ends with OBLUTO→
10D
Making money or becoming famous, maybe (3)
Starts with A, ends with MAIM→
11D
Smolder (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESEETHE→
12D
Penalty box in hockey, slangily (6)
Starts with S, ends with NSINBIN→
13D
Unbroken (6)
Starts with I, ends with TINTACT→
15D
Hoop alternative (4)
Starts with S, ends with DSTUD→
18D
Neighbor of Switz. (3)
Starts with G, ends with RGER→
22D
Something inside or outside a wine bar? (3)
Starts with C, ends with BCAB→
23D
Count of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" (4)
Starts with O, ends with FOLAF→
25D
Unpredictable (7)
Starts with E, ends with CERRATIC→
26D
Gingham or seersucker (5)
Starts with C, ends with HCLOTH→
28D
Common policy at a neighborhood BBQ (4)
Starts with B, ends with BBYOB→
31D
Remote sensing technology that uses lasers (5)
Starts with L, ends with RLIDAR→
32D
Eponymous Belgian resort town (3)
Starts with S, ends with ASPA→
34D
Cringeily cute (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETWEE→
35D
Tiny slug? (3)
Starts with S, ends with PSIP→
37D
Units of electric charge (8)
Starts with F, ends with SFARADAYS→
38D
Spray from a plane (8)
Starts with C, ends with TCROPDUST→
39D
Sharpen (4)
Starts with H, ends with EHONE→
42D
Start to stick? (3)
Starts with N, ends with NNON→
43D
Under a parasol, say (6)
Starts with S, ends with DSHADED→
44D
"My feelings exactly" (6)
Starts with I, ends with EIAGREE→
45D
Host Meredith of "25 Words or Less" (6)
Starts with V, ends with AVIEIRA→
47D
Cézanne painted a "Pyramid" of them (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSKULLS→
50D
"Oh no!" (5)
Starts with Y, ends with SYIKES→
51D
Clear stuff in a restaurant (3)
Starts with B, ends with SBUS→
52D
Prefix often meaning "gas" (4)
Starts with A, ends with OAERO→
53D
Flakes out? (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSNOWS→
57D
Thelma and Louise, e.g. (4)
Starts with P, ends with SPALS→
59D
Signifier of no value, in many programming languages (3)
Starts with N, ends with LNIL→
60D
Grazing area (3)
Starts with L, ends with ALEA→
61D
First name signifier? (3)
Starts with N, ends with ENEE→
62D
Counterpart of a sire, on a horse farm (3)
Starts with D, ends with MDAM→
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 8, 2026?+
74 clues: 33 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Rachel Grey and John Kugelman and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: One who might use they/them pronouns, informally (ENBY); Sensation after getting a tattoo, for some (ITCH); How low can they go? (BASSI).
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.
