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Crossword Difficulty: 7/10 Live data

NYT The Crossword Solver & Clues & Answers Today — May 15, 2026

NYT The Crossword Puzzle #23944 Solution • Last updated Friday, May 15, 2026 Resets in --:--:--
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Today's NYT The Crossword Hints

Clues & Answers for Today's NYT Crossword

Click a square to reveal its letter. Get hints below.

Across

1. To the ___ (as much as possible)
5. Electrifying people, so to speak
14. Dog howling at night, maybe
15. Vintage bike feature
16. Good name for a yoga instructor?
17. Hairy get-up
18. Wych ___ (tree type)
19. Miss Doolittle of "Pygmalion"
20. Civil rights activist Williams, an associate of Martin Luther King Jr.
21. Splits apart
23. Annual coll. basketball competition
25. Class for some aspiring bilinguals, in brief
26. Led
27. Play casually, say
29. Like some kitchens
30. Harps on
33. MacMurray of "Double Indemnity"
34. Throw in at the end
35. Pulls off
37. Jarring film transition to a new scene
39. Sired
40. Give a hand?
41. Language of southern India
42. Sierra, e.g.
45. "Nasty!"
46. Rainwater reservoir
47. Duane ___ (New York-based pharmacy chain)
49. Figures in "Puss in Boots" and "Hop-o'-My-Thumb"
51. Sickly-looking
52. "I don't care either way"
54. Magician's accessory
55. Use of a popular song to make a scene iconic, in film-speak
56. "Your turn to speak"
57. Difficult time for farmers
58. Hot ___

Down

1. Big name in meal prep kits
2. "Tell me!"
3. Line of attack?
4. Cause of a boom
5. Material for the blue eyebrows on the mask of Tutankhamen, in brief
6. Mother of Don Juan
7. Here goes nothing!
8. Brian of ambient music
9. Part of a bass in a jug band
10. :
11. Get new life out of
12. Eponym for a lounge chair
13. "I can't believe that price" bargain
15. Made hay?
19. Uniform
22. Puma rival
24. Setting for the graphic novel series "Persepolis"
27. Transition
28. Competitor of the early Chevrolet 490
30. "Sticks"
31. Dangerous ocean phenomenon
32. Edible algae dubbed "green caviar"
34. Break the ice?
36. Knockouts
38. Blind followers, informally
39. Friend of Nancy Drew
41. Moor
42. Daily ___
43. Element of a poetry analysis, maybe
44. Baseball's Stengel
46. Sing like Michael Bublé
48. Threads
50. Food item whose name comes from the Greek for "turn"
53. Occasion that may involve fine china
54. Common end to an address
15×15 grid · 35A / 35D · 70 words · Difficulty 7/10 ·#23944

About Today's NYT The Crossword

The flagship 15×15 NYT crossword puzzle — themed, challenging, and updated daily. Visit nytimes.com/crosswords to play today's puzzle.

Today's puzzle is rated 7/10 difficulty — on the harder side. Use our hints if you get stuck.

How to Play NYT The Crossword

The NYT Crossword is the flagship 15×15 grid puzzle published daily by The New York Times, larger and more challenging than the Mini and Midi.

Fill in the grid by solving Across and Down clues. Every answer intersects with other words at shared letters.

The puzzle always features a theme with a clever title. Theme answers span the longest entries in the grid.

Difficulty increases through the week: Monday is easiest, Saturday is hardest. Sunday puzzles are larger (21×21) but Wednesday-level difficulty.

Play at nytimes.com/crosswords. A new puzzle is available every day.

Tips & Strategy

  • Start with Monday puzzles to learn common crossword fill like ERA, ORE, ATE, OREO, and ALOE.
  • Read the theme title. It often hints at wordplay used in the longest answers.
  • Fill in crossing letters first. A single confirmed letter can crack a tricky clue.
  • Question marks in clues signal wordplay, puns, or non-literal interpretations.
  • Three-letter answers repeat across puzzles. Learn common ones like ERA, ORE, ATE, ALOE.

NYT The Crossword Answer Patterns & Statistics

Computed from 159 archived puzzles · updated

How difficult is NYT The Crossword on average?
Across 159 archived NYT The Crossword puzzles, the average difficulty is 6.5/10. The split: 0.0% easy (1–4), 99.4% medium (5–7), 0.6% hard (8–10).
How many NYT The Crossword puzzles does HintPulse track?
Our NYT The Crossword archive holds 159 daily puzzles, refreshed every day after the new puzzle drops.

About NYT The Crossword — History & Fun Facts

The New York Times crossword puzzle has a long history. It began in 1942. The newspaper published its first crossword on February 15, 1942. It quickly became a popular feature. The puzzles are known for their challenging clues and themed grids.

The New York Times offers its daily crossword puzzles online. This digital version allows players worldwide to participate. The puzzles reset daily at 10 PM ET. Millions of players engage with the puzzles each week.

Fun Facts About NYT The Crossword

  • The first crossword published by The New York Times was on February 15, 1942.
  • The puzzles are known for their difficulty and clever wordplay.
  • The New York Times crossword is published daily.

NYT Mini vs Midi vs Daily Crossword

Feature Mini Midi Daily
Grid Size5×59×915×15
Clues~10~30~70+
Solve Time1–3 min3–10 min15–45 min
DifficultyEasyMediumHard (Mon→Sat)
ThemedNoYesYes (always)
SubscriptionFreeNYT GamesNYT Games
Reset Time10 PM ET10 PM ET10 PM ET

Frequently Asked Questions

What are today's NYT Crossword answers?
Today's NYT Crossword clues and answers are revealed in our hints section above. We provide Across and Down answers with progressive difficulty hints.
How big is the NYT Crossword?
The standard NYT Crossword is a 15×15 grid on weekdays and Saturdays. Sunday puzzles are larger at 21×21. Each puzzle has around 70+ clues across and down.
When does the NYT Crossword reset?
The NYT Crossword resets daily at 10:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). The new puzzle is published the evening before its print date.
How does difficulty change through the week?
Monday is the easiest, and puzzles get progressively harder through Saturday. Sunday puzzles are larger (21×21) but roughly Wednesday-level difficulty.

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