NYT Crossword hints and answer for September 16, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across40
Down38
ConstructorPeter Gorman
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
Important info to have while you're waiting in a cellphone lot, for short (3)
Starts with E, ends with AETA→
4A
Fall or fell (6)
Starts with T, ends with ETOPPLE→
10A
Cause of a sudden change in interest, informally? (4)
Starts with R, ends with IREFI→
15A
Pho soup garnishes (7)
Starts with S, ends with SSPROUTS→
16A
Conduit of neural signals (4)
Starts with A, ends with NAXON→
17A
Early models (10)
Starts with P, ends with SPROTOTYPES→
19A
Relative of a gull (4)
Starts with T, ends with NTERN→
20A
"Ain't gonna happen" (4)
Starts with N, ends with ENOPE→
21A
Big bang cause (3)
Starts with T, ends with TTNT→
22A
Chilling (5)
Starts with O, ends with EONICE→
24A
The remotest of remote jobs? (9)
Starts with A, ends with TASTRONAUT→
28A
Supermodel Banks (4)
Starts with T, ends with ATYRA→
29A
Break into loud cheers, as a crowd (5)
Starts with E, ends with TERUPT→
31A
Answer to "Who's ready to go?" (3)
Starts with I, ends with MIAM→
33A
Broadcast (3)
Starts with A, ends with RAIR→
35A
Uno + due (3)
Starts with T, ends with ETRE→
36A
Mononymous Irish singer (4)
Starts with B, ends with OBONO→
37A
Animated film that was the highest-grossing movie of 1992 (7)
Starts with A, ends with NALADDIN→
41A
"Impossible!" (7)
Starts with N, ends with ONOCANDO→
43A
Hibernation spots (4)
Starts with D, ends with SDENS→
44A
Dip target, maybe (3)
Starts with P, ends with CPEC→
46A
Things entered in a sudoku grid: Abbr. (3)
Starts with N, ends with SNOS→
47A
Messy dorm room, figuratively (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSTY→
48A
Fruits often seen in still lifes (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPEARS→
50A
Take back, for short (4)
Starts with R, ends with OREPO→
53A
City haze (4)
Starts with S, ends with GSMOG→
55A
Canine guard? (8)
Starts with R, ends with RRETAINER→
57A
Dishwasher cycle (5)
Starts with R, ends with ERINSE→
59A
"A form of madness," it's said (3)
Starts with W, ends with RWAR→
60A
Actress Pinkett Smith of "Girls Trip" (4)
Starts with J, ends with AJADA→
62A
Singer/songwriter Mitchell (4)
Starts with J, ends with IJONI→
63A
Fruits named after a mythical drink (10)
Starts with N, ends with SNECTARINES→
66A
Noted cartoon dog (5)
Starts with P, ends with OPLUTO→
67A
Its first video, "Me at the zoo," has over 400 million views (7)
Starts with Y, ends with EYOUTUBE→
68A
State whose outline can be made by connecting seven particular squares in this puzzle (4)
Starts with U, ends with HUTAH→
69A
Valley (4)
Starts with G, ends with NGLEN→
70A
Give a once-over (6)
Starts with A, ends with SASSESS→
71A
Crafty (3)
Starts with S, ends with YSLY→
Down
1D
Channel with "2" and "U" spinoffs (4)
Starts with E, ends with NESPN→
2D
Pharynx setting (6)
Starts with T, ends with TTHROAT→
3D
Post-mortem (7)
Starts with A, ends with YAUTOPSY→
4D
General on a Chinese menu (3)
Starts with T, ends with OTSO→
5D
Decide one will (5)
Starts with O, ends with OOPTTO→
6D
Hester of "The Scarlet Letter" (6)
Starts with P, ends with EPRYNNE→
7D
Grab-and-go breakfast option (7)
Starts with P, ends with TPOPTART→
8D
Guitar relative (4)
Starts with L, ends with ELUTE→
9D
Gas brand seen in Edward Hopper's "Portrait of Orleans" (4)
Starts with E, ends with OESSO→
10D
Betting odds, e.g. (5)
Starts with R, ends with ORATIO→
11D
Concern for a gymnastics judge (9)
Starts with E, ends with NEXECUTION→
12D
Certain pickleball shot (8)
Starts with F, ends with DFOREHAND→
13D
Greenwich Village's Stonewall, e.g. (3)
Starts with I, ends with NINN→
18D
Groups of four (7)
Starts with T, ends with STETRADS→
23D
Paper competing with the W.S.J. (3)
Starts with N, ends with TNYT→
25D
Debugger? (4)
Starts with R, ends with DRAID→
26D
Remedy for a missed exit (5)
Starts with U, ends with NUTURN→
30D
Lowly worker (4)
Starts with P, ends with NPEON→
32D
Farm sound (3)
Starts with M, ends with OMOO→
34D
Ready to eat (4)
Starts with R, ends with ERIPE→
36D
Small hound that doesn't bark (7)
Starts with B, ends with IBASENJI→
37D
What a premium subscription may help you avoid (3)
Starts with A, ends with SADS→
38D
"Time to go!" (8)
Starts with L, ends with LLETSROLL→
39D
Very soon (9)
Starts with A, ends with EANYMINUTE→
42D
What "Coco" is a nickname for, for tennis's Coco Gauff (4)
Starts with C, ends with ICORI→
45D
Military hairstyles (8)
Starts with C, ends with SCREWCUTS→
48D
Family-friendly movie ratings (3)
Starts with P, ends with SPGS→
49D
The Sphinx, for one (6)
Starts with S, ends with ESTATUE→
51D
Classic comic strip that's the source for nine Emmys and two Tonys (7)
Starts with P, ends with SPEANUTS→
52D
Folding a fitted sheet, it may seem (6)
Starts with O, ends with LORDEAL→
54D
Edible bulb (5)
Starts with O, ends with NONION→
56D
Many Moroccans (5)
Starts with A, ends with SARABS→
58D
Mononymous Irish singer (4)
Starts with E, ends with AENYA→
61D
Grayish (4)
Starts with A, ends with YASHY→
62D
Profile pic format, in brief (3)
Starts with J, ends with GJPG→
64D
Dawn deity (3)
Starts with E, ends with SEOS→
65D
In medias ___ (3)
Starts with R, ends with SRES→
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 16, 2026?+
78 clues: 40 Across and 38 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Peter Gorman and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Important info to have while you're waiting in a cellphone lot, for short (ETA); Fall or fell (TOPPLE); Cause of a sudden change in interest, informally? (REFI).
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.
