NYT Crossword hints and answer for September 12, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues70
Across35
Down35
ConstructorAdam Wagner and Michael Lieberman
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
Light décor (10)
Starts with L, ends with SLAMPSHADES→
11A
Last place? (4)
Starts with T, ends with BTOMB→
15A
Pop-up with an envelope icon (10)
Starts with E, ends with TEMAILALERT→
16A
Round figure (4)
Starts with O, ends with LOVAL→
17A
Winner's circle? (10)
Starts with V, ends with PVICTORYLAP→
18A
Take two (4)
Starts with R, ends with OREDO→
19A
Hyperfixated (6)
Starts with E, ends with TENRAPT→
20A
"Thick ___ Brick" (1972 Jethro Tull album) (3)
Starts with A, ends with AASA→
21A
Earth's pull, informally (4)
Starts with O, ends with GONEG→
22A
On the ___ (free) (5)
Starts with L, ends with ELOOSE→
23A
Thumbs-down votes in the Duma (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNYETS→
25A
Why wait? (3)
Starts with T, ends with PTIP→
26A
Personal circumstances, so to speak (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSHOES→
28A
Justice who's the subject of the 2026 biography "Revenge for the Sixties" (5)
Starts with A, ends with OALITO→
30A
Rolls out the green carpet? (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSODS→
34A
First full word sung in "The Alphabet Song" (3)
Starts with A, ends with DAND→
35A
Proverbial small amount (6)
Starts with C, ends with SCRUMBS→
36A
"Now we're talking!" (15)
Starts with T, ends with TTHATSMORELIKEIT→
39A
Capers (6)
Starts with A, ends with SANTICS→
40A
Common ___ (3)
Starts with E, ends with AERA→
41A
Rowing machines, in gym lingo (4)
Starts with E, ends with SERGS→
42A
"Schitt's Creek" matriarch (5)
Starts with M, ends with AMOIRA→
43A
Really hurts (5)
Starts with M, ends with SMAIMS→
45A
Rout, in computer game lingo (3)
Starts with P, ends with NPWN→
46A
Word with letter or grant (5)
Starts with B, ends with KBLOCK→
48A
Toothbrush handle? (5)
Starts with O, ends with BORALB→
53A
Smokes (4)
Starts with C, ends with SCIGS→
55A
N.B.A. coach Jordan ___ (3)
Starts with O, ends with TOTT→
56A
Punnily named production company behind TV's "Insecure" and "A Black Lady Sketch Show" (6)
Starts with H, ends with EHOORAE→
58A
Common sleep aid (10)
Starts with W, ends with EWHITENOISE→
60A
Acquire by default? (4)
Starts with R, ends with OREPO→
61A
Math class assignment (10)
Starts with P, ends with TPROBLEMSET→
62A
Labor, e.g.: Abbr. (4)
Starts with D, ends with TDEPT→
63A
Appliances that are always blowing out? (10)
Starts with H, ends with SHANDDRYERS→
Down
1D
Carpenter's tool (5)
Starts with L, ends with LLEVEL→
2D
___ acid (5)
Starts with A, ends with OAMINO→
3D
Kind of photography lens for a close-up (5)
Starts with M, ends with OMACRO→
4D
Wraps in the Mideast (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPITAS→
5D
Certain geometry calculations (6)
Starts with S, ends with SSLOPES→
6D
Playwright Moss ___ (4)
Starts with H, ends with THART→
7D
Gymnast Raisman (3)
Starts with A, ends with YALY→
8D
What a joke may get eventually (15)
Starts with D, ends with NDELAYEDREACTION→
9D
Takes marks off in a classroom? (6)
Starts with E, ends with SERASES→
10D
Mid-March V.I.P., informally (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSTPAT→
11D
"Surf" food in Japan, or "turf" animal in Spain (4)
Starts with T, ends with OTORO→
12D
Kitchen counter (9)
Starts with O, ends with ROVENTIMER→
13D
Became a household name, say (9)
Starts with M, ends with GMADEITBIG→
14D
Examples of media on Medium (9)
Starts with B, ends with SBLOGPOSTS→
23D
Many a listing in an etiquette book (4)
Starts with N, ends with ONONO→
24D
Wrap in South Asia (4)
Starts with S, ends with ISARI→
27D
Actors unsuited for subtle roles (4)
Starts with H, ends with SHAMS→
29D
Country singer Combs (4)
Starts with L, ends with ELUKE→
30D
Rewards program tracker (9)
Starts with S, ends with DSTAMPCARD→
31D
"It's finally clear" (9)
Starts with O, ends with EOHNOWISEE→
32D
Phone connector? (9)
Starts with D, ends with PDATINGAPP→
33D
Arouse (4)
Starts with S, ends with RSTIR→
35D
Simoleon (4)
Starts with C, ends with MCLAM→
37D
Labor pain? (4)
Starts with S, ends with BSCAB→
38D
Journalist Larson who wrote "The Splendid and the Vile" (4)
Starts with E, ends with KERIK→
43D
Godzilla adversary (6)
Starts with M, ends with AMOTHRA→
44D
Longhorn's rival (6)
Starts with S, ends with RSOONER→
47D
Acidic (5)
Starts with L, ends with HLOWPH→
49D
Capacious (5)
Starts with R, ends with YROOMY→
50D
Surface (5)
Starts with A, ends with EARISE→
51D
Pointer for a public speaker (5)
Starts with L, ends with RLASER→
52D
Sources of the juice that "bleeds" in a faux meat patty (5)
Starts with B, ends with SBEETS→
54D
Tough thing to be in (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSPOT→
56D
Stayed together (4)
Starts with H, ends with DHELD→
59D
Placeholder abbr. (3)
Starts with T, ends with DTBD→
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 September 12, 2026?+
70 clues: 35 Across and 35 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Adam Wagner and Michael Lieberman and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Light décor (LAMPSHADES); Last place? (TOMB); Pop-up with an envelope icon (EMAILALERT).
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.
