NYT Crossword · The New York Times

The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for January 1, 2026

Q: Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive .

Thursday, January 1, 2026

By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated Nov 3, 2026 at 12:27 PM ETHow we make hints

This archive page covers the The Crossword from Thursday, January 1, 2026. The daily crossword is the classic: a 15×15 grid on weekdays and a larger Sunday puzzle, with difficulty rising from a gentle Monday to a fiendish Saturday. Hints come first and the solution stays hidden until you ask for it.

76 clues · jump to Across or Down. Tap a tile for one letter, or Answer for the whole word.

Across clues & answers

Down clues & answers

Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.

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Previous The Crossword answer

Wednesday, December 31, 2025

across

1. Big name in pickup trucks: RAM
4. Criminal suspects, informally: PERPS
9. Giant container: VAT
12. Map out: PLAN
14. Love of Italy?: AMORE
15. Performer who's lost for words?: MIME
16. Smaller than small: MINI
17. Completely change course, in business jargon: PIVOT
18. Enthusiastic: AVID
19. Gathering for this puzzle's attendees: SQUAREDANCE
22. Stipulation for some keto dieters: NOCARBS
24. Ninja's quality: STEALTH
27. Grant the power: ENABLE
28. Paddle people: ROWERS
29. Hint: TIP
30. Marketplace of ancient Greece: AGORA
34. Knights of ___, dark order in the third "Star Wars" trilogy: REN
35. Gathering for this puzzle's attendees: CELLRECEPTION
40. Falco of "The Sopranos": EDIE
41. Article in hip-hop titles: THA
42. Make some changes: EDIT
43. Gathering for this puzzle's attendees: BOXSOCIAL
46. Suffering from memory loss, in a way: AMNESIC
49. It's a big hit: HOMERUN
53. Name on luxury fashion apparel: DIOR
54. Marginalia, e.g.: NOTES
56. John of wrestling fame: CENA
57. Bloom that's green: ALGAE
59. Mess around a sty: MUD
60. Lead, as a meeting: CHAIR
61. With 63-Across, gathering for this puzzle's attendees: BLOCK
62. Grp. that carries badges: FBI
63. See 61-Across: PARTY
64. "That makes sense now!": ISEE
65. Hanker (for): YEN
66. Things people prefer to type on in secrecy, for short: ATMS

down

1. Engine stat, in brief: RPM
2. Sports star who said “It's not bragging if you can back it up”: ALI
3. Engaged in some grooming: MANSCAPED
4. Fairy tale character with a hard bed: PAPABEAR
5. Arab leaders: EMIRS
6. Wander aimlessly: ROVE
7. Needles, maybe: PRODS
8. Try to catch someone with guile: SETATRAP
9. Cry of loyalty in old France: VIVELEROI
10. "___ crazy?": AMI
11. Williams in the Baseball Hall of Fame: TED
13. Veil worn by Muslim women: NIQAB
15. Colorful parrot: MACAW
20. Certain address, for short: URL
21. Lead-in to liberalism: NEO
22. Ending for many a 20-Down: NET
23. How drinks may be stored at a summer gathering: ONICE
25. Site of a historic council: TRENT
26. Channel similar to QVC: HSN
31. Lies down on the couch, say: GETSCOMFY
32. Nueve menos uno: OCHO
33. Began to withdraw mail from a mailbox, say: REACHEDIN
36. One-named performer known as "Mr. Showmanship": LIBERACE
37. Most August babies: LEOS
38. Word fittingly evoked by the phrase "Together everyone achieves more": TEAM
39. Small talk: IDLECHAT
44. Mark, as an option on a questionnaire: XIN
45. Apple device letters: IOS
46. Not very much: ADAB
47. Prefix meaning "one-thousandth": MILLI
48. Ideas that don't work out: NOGOS
50. Supply with more weaponry: REARM
51. Condo building's inventory: UNITS
52. Hardly: NARY
55. Straw, e.g.: TUBE
58. Squeak (out): EKE
60. Book reviewer, for short: CPA

Hints and full breakdown for Dec 31

More daily puzzle hints

How the week is built

Monday and Tuesday: straightforward definitions and familiar answers. These are the best days to learn.
Wednesday: a step up, often with a playful theme.
Thursday: the trick day, with rebus squares (several letters in one square) and answers that turn corners or skip squares.
Friday and Saturday: themeless and tough, with sly clues and long open sections.
Sunday: a bigger 21×21 grid with a theme, about as hard as a Wednesday or Thursday.

Crossword-solving habits worth building

Learn the common fill. Short vowel-heavy words such as ERA, OREO, ALOE and ETNA appear constantly because they help constructors connect sections.
Read clue signals. "?" means wordplay, "Abbr." means an abbreviation, "e.g." means an example of a category, and a foreign word in the clue hints at a foreign answer.
Find the theme. The longest answers usually share a gimmick; the title (on Sundays) or a "revealer" clue explains it.
Erase without fear. When crossings don't work, the wrong letter is usually in the answer you were most confident about.
Use targeted help. Reveal one letter here, or try our crossword solver with a pattern like ?R?S?.

The Crossword FAQ

When is the next crossword released?

Weekday puzzles go live at 10 p.m. Eastern Time the night before; weekend puzzles are released earlier in the evening.

What is a rebus square?

A square that holds more than one letter. Sometimes it holds a whole word or a symbol. They are most common on Thursdays.

Which day is the hardest?

Saturday is generally the hardest, followed by Friday. Sunday is larger but closer to midweek difficulty.

Can I see past crossword answers?

Yes. Each date we have covered is in the crossword archive.