NYT Crossword hints and answer for September 22, 2025
Hints that get gradually more specific, then the answer if you need it. Nothing is revealed until you tap.
Clues78
Across37
Down41
ConstructorDena R. Verkuil and Andrea Carla Michaels
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
School stat like 3.5 or 4.0 (3)
Starts with G, ends with AGPA→
4A
Yeast, mold and mushrooms (5)
Starts with F, ends with IFUNGI→
9A
Desert plants with needles (5)
Starts with C, ends with ICACTI→
14A
Tree with "American" and "slippery" varieties (3)
Starts with E, ends with MELM→
15A
Alaskan native (5)
Starts with I, ends with TINUIT→
16A
Synthetic fabric once common in sweaters (5)
Starts with O, ends with NORLON→
17A
Born as (3)
Starts with N, ends with ENEE→
18A
Wine choice in southern France (11)
Starts with R, ends with XREDBORDEAUX→
20A
Bonkers (4)
Starts with Z, ends with YZANY→
22A
Compete (for) (3)
Starts with V, ends with EVIE→
23A
Changes with the times (6)
Starts with A, ends with SADAPTS→
24A
Females that may be fleeced (4)
Starts with E, ends with SEWES→
26A
Cinema showing (4)
Starts with F, ends with MFILM→
27A
Canadian P.M. who is the son of another Canadian P.M. (13)
Starts with J, ends with UJUSTINTRUDEAU→
32A
Cyber Monday sector (5)
Starts with E, ends with LETAIL→
33A
Put to work (3)
Starts with U, ends with EUSE→
34A
Ask God (for) (4)
Starts with P, ends with YPRAY→
37A
Identify in a Facebook photo (3)
Starts with T, ends with GTAG→
38A
Where canines sleep (7)
Starts with D, ends with SDOGBEDS→
42A
"Du-u-ude!" (3)
Starts with B, ends with OBRO→
43A
Basketball's O'Neal, to fans (4)
Starts with S, ends with QSHAQ→
45A
Keanu Reeves's character in "The Matrix" (3)
Starts with N, ends with ONEO→
46A
To no ___ (ineffectively) (5)
Starts with A, ends with LAVAIL→
48A
Platform for Donkey Kong Country (13)
Starts with S, ends with OSUPERNINTENDO→
52A
Ingredient in many hand lotions (4)
Starts with A, ends with EALOE→
53A
The lion's share (4)
Starts with M, ends with TMOST→
54A
Cigarette butt receptacle (6)
Starts with A, ends with NASHCAN→
57A
Major N.Y.C. concert venue (3)
Starts with M, ends with GMSG→
58A
Do the backstroke or breaststroke (4)
Starts with S, ends with MSWIM→
62A
Chunks found in Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream (11)
Starts with C, ends with HCOOKIEDOUGH→
65A
Avant-garde musical artist Yoko (3)
Starts with O, ends with OONO→
66A
Fixed, as a piano (5)
Starts with T, ends with DTUNED→
67A
"The Godfather" author Puzo (5)
Starts with M, ends with OMARIO→
68A
Frequently, to a poet (3)
Starts with O, ends with TOFT→
69A
Winter coasters (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSLEDS→
70A
Surgical tube (5)
Starts with S, ends with TSTENT→
71A
Cry from Homer … or a phonetic hint to the ends of 18-, 27-, 48- and 62- Across (3)
Starts with D, ends with HDOH→
Down
1D
Kids these days (4)
Starts with G, ends with ZGENZ→
2D
"Not guilty," e.g. (4)
Starts with P, ends with APLEA→
3D
"You got that right, sister!" (4)
Starts with A, ends with NAMEN→
4D
Certain evergreen (3)
Starts with F, ends with RFIR→
5D
Like some bars in gymnastics (6)
Starts with U, ends with NUNEVEN→
6D
One who is barely seen? (6)
Starts with N, ends with TNUDIST→
8D
"How was ___ know?" (3)
Starts with I, ends with OITO→
9D
Pamper (6)
Starts with C, ends with ECODDLE→
10D
Tour guide? (7)
Starts with A, ends with PAREAMAP→
11D
Crash of thunder (4)
Starts with C, ends with PCLAP→
12D
Promote enthusiastically (4)
Starts with T, ends with TTOUT→
13D
"Need You Tonight" rock band (4)
Starts with I, ends with SINXS→
19D
Like speakeasies and refrigerators, at times (6)
Starts with R, ends with DRAIDED→
21D
Brand of cooler that shares its name with a Himalayan legend (4)
Starts with Y, ends with IYETI→
25D
Opposite of tame (4)
Starts with W, ends with DWILD→
26D
Join into one (4)
Starts with F, ends with EFUSE→
27D
Jacuzzi features (4)
Starts with J, ends with SJETS→
28D
Where to find the Jazz (4)
Starts with U, ends with HUTAH→
29D
Long-winded tales (5)
Starts with S, ends with SSAGAS→
30D
Apply, as ointment (5)
Starts with R, ends with NRUBON→
31D
City-related (5)
Starts with U, ends with NURBAN→
35D
Desertlike (4)
Starts with A, ends with DARID→
36D
Carefree motto, in modern lingo (4)
Starts with Y, ends with OYOLO→
39D
Low-scoring deadlock (6)
Starts with O, ends with EONEONE→
40D
Richard of "Pretty Woman" (4)
Starts with G, ends with EGERE→
41D
Hurdles for srs. (4)
Starts with S, ends with SSATS→
44D
Sounded like a duck (7)
Starts with Q, ends with DQUACKED→
47D
Farm docs (4)
Starts with V, ends with SVETS→
49D
Tartan patterns (6)
Starts with P, ends with SPLAIDS→
50D
"Yeah, right" (6)
Starts with I, ends with EIMSURE→
54D
Does some theater work (4)
Starts with A, ends with SACTS→
55D
Word before food or mate (4)
Starts with S, ends with LSOUL→
56D
Refine, as a skill (4)
Starts with H, ends with EHONE→
57D
Castle defense (4)
Starts with M, ends with TMOAT→
59D
What a whittler whittles (4)
Starts with W, ends with DWOOD→
61D
Relative of a butterfly (4)
Starts with M, ends with HMOTH→
63D
Private online chats, for short (3)
Starts with D, ends with SDMS→
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 22, 2025?+
78 clues: 37 Across and 41 Down. The puzzle was constructed by Dena R. Verkuil and Andrea Carla Michaels and edited by Will Shortz.
What are some answers in today’s NYT Crossword?+
For example: School stat like 3.5 or 4.0 (GPA); Yeast, mold and mushrooms (FUNGI); Desert plants with needles (CACTI).
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.
