NYT Crossword hints and answer for September 21, 2026
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues76
Across35
Down41
ConstructorAlexander Liebeskind
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
Where Mongolia is (4)
Starts with A, ends with AASIA→
5A
Scaredy-cat (4)
Starts with W, ends with PWIMP→
9A
Leafs (through) (5)
Starts with P, ends with SPAGES→
14A
Album for which Kendrick Lamar won a Pulitzer Prize (4)
Starts with D, ends with NDAMN→
15A
Berry at a smoothie shop (4)
Starts with A, ends with IACAI→
16A
Company behind the game Pong (5)
Starts with A, ends with IATARI→
17A
Mentally pooped (15)
Starts with T, ends with KTOOTIREDTOTHINK→
20A
1960s service site, informally (3)
Starts with N, ends with MNAM→
21A
Common injury site for a basketball player, informally (3)
Starts with A, ends with LACL→
22A
Thick, as plant growth (4)
Starts with L, ends with HLUSH→
23A
Deliberately give instruction in a way that targets an exam (14)
Starts with T, ends with TTEACHTOTHETEST→
28A
Commercial that may come with a jingle (7)
Starts with R, ends with DRADIOAD→
29A
Took a chair (3)
Starts with S, ends with TSAT→
31A
Hair parter (4)
Starts with C, ends with BCOMB→
34A
Continue a subscription (5)
Starts with R, ends with WRENEW→
38A
Barely passing grade (3)
Starts with D, ends with EDEE→
39A
Decade of W.W. II ... or a homophonic hint to 17-, 23-, 50- and 57-Across (7)
Starts with F, ends with SFORTIES→
41A
Around 18, typically, for a high school graduate (3)
Starts with A, ends with EAGE→
42A
Sometimes-floral organic compound (5)
Starts with E, ends with RESTER→
44A
Draped Indian garment (4)
Starts with S, ends with ISARI→
45A
___-X (computer command to cut text) (4)
Starts with C, ends with LCTRL→
46A
Crosses (out) (3)
Starts with X, ends with SXES→
48A
Conjures up, say (7)
Starts with C, ends with SCREATES→
50A
"If I'm being honest ..." (14)
Starts with T, ends with HTOTELLTHETRUTH→
54A
Cook, in a way, as ahi tuna (4)
Starts with S, ends with RSEAR→
55A
Opposite of 'neath (3)
Starts with O, ends with ROER→
56A
Fools' mo. (3)
Starts with A, ends with RAPR→
57A
"A fight requires more than one person" (15)
Starts with T, ends with OTAKESTWOTOTANGO→
63A
"I'm available to help" (5)
Starts with U, ends with EUSEME→
64A
Modern note-taking aid (4)
Starts with I, ends with DIPAD→
65A
Plant in a marsh (4)
Starts with R, ends with DREED→
66A
Spanish babies (5)
Starts with N, ends with SNENES→
67A
What a paper airplane icon may indicate (4)
Starts with S, ends with DSEND→
68A
Thing in a grove (4)
Starts with T, ends with ETREE→
Down
1D
Big letters in home security (3)
Starts with A, ends with TADT→
2D
___ Paulo, Brazil (3)
Starts with S, ends with OSAO→
3D
Comment that might follow "None for me, thanks" (9)
Starts with I, ends with TIMONADIET→
4D
Relief for an upset stomach (7)
Starts with A, ends with DANTACID→
5D
Simple two-player card game (3)
Starts with W, ends with RWAR→
6D
Drink cooler (3)
Starts with I, ends with EICE→
7D
Angry with (5)
Starts with M, ends with TMADAT→
8D
Throw from a mound (5)
Starts with P, ends with HPITCH→
9D
Butter square (3)
Starts with P, ends with TPAT→
10D
Any Olympian (7)
Starts with A, ends with EATHLETE→
11D
First name of Julius Caesar (5)
Starts with G, ends with SGAIUS→
12D
Artist Max (5)
Starts with E, ends with TERNST→
13D
Worshiper in a turban (4)
Starts with S, ends with HSIKH→
18D
Texter's qualifier (4)
Starts with I, ends with OIMHO→
19D
Cries in a fútbol stadium (4)
Starts with O, ends with SOLES→
23D
Barter (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETRADE→
24D
Roof overhangs (5)
Starts with E, ends with SEAVES→
25D
It may have a hard or soft shell (4)
Starts with T, ends with OTACO→
26D
Things indicated by squiggly lines in cartoons (5)
Starts with O, ends with SODORS→
27D
Paves the way? (4)
Starts with T, ends with STARS→
32D
N.Y.C. subway letters (3)
Starts with M, ends with AMTA→
33D
Hardwood whose bark is sometimes used as paper (5)
Starts with B, ends with HBIRCH→
35D
Leader of an 1831 revolt against slavery (9)
Starts with N, ends with RNATTURNER→
36D
Spearfishing bird (5)
Starts with E, ends with TEGRET→
37D
People of SW Britain (5)
Starts with W, ends with HWELSH→
39D
Without charge (4)
Starts with F, ends with EFREE→
40D
The Emerald Isle (4)
Starts with E, ends with EEIRE→
43D
Like skydiving or cliff-diving (7)
Starts with E, ends with EEXTREME→
45D
Dashboard or bumper (7)
Starts with C, ends with TCARPART→
47D
Place to put a coin (4)
Starts with S, ends with TSLOT→
49D
Coup d'___ (4)
Starts with E, ends with TETAT→
50D
Joke with (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETEASE→
51D
Like some wine barrels (5)
Starts with O, ends with NOAKEN→
52D
___ and Clark (5)
Starts with L, ends with SLEWIS→
53D
Familiar narrative device (5)
Starts with T, ends with ETROPE→
54D
Leave dumbfounded (4)
Starts with S, ends with NSTUN→
58D
French possessive (3)
Starts with S, ends with SSES→
59D
Catch some rays (3)
Starts with T, ends with NTAN→
60D
Bizarre (3)
Starts with O, ends with DODD→
61D
"Golly!" (3)
Starts with G, ends with EGEE→
62D
Poetic tribute (3)
Starts with O, ends with EODE→
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 21, 2026?+
76 clues: 35 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Alexander Liebeskind and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: Where Mongolia is (ASIA); Scaredy-cat (WIMP); Leafs (through) (PAGES).
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.
