NYT Crossword · The New York Times
The Crossword Clues, Hints & Answers for October 18, 2026
Sunday, October 18, 2026
By WordFinderZ Puzzle TeamLast updated How we make hints
This archive page covers the The Crossword from Sunday, October 18, 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.
Across clues & answers
- 27
- 32
- 56
- 57
- 59
- 64
- 65
- 72
- 83
- 88
- 90
- 104
- 112
- 114
- 121
Down clues & answers
- 31
- 42
- 58
- 102
- 108
- 111
- 116
Know someone stuck on this one? The link opens on the hints, not the answer.
Previous The Crossword answer
Saturday, October 17, 2026
across
- 1. It has its limits, in brief: CALC
- 5. Award-winning culinary documentary series: CHEFSTABLE
- 15. High number, perhaps: ARIA
- 16. Where some family secrets may be written: RECIPEBOOK
- 17. Displaying finesse: DEFT
- 18. Actress who plays Trudy on "Mad Men" and Annie on "Community": ALISONBRIE
- 19. Mothers in cotes: EWES
- 20. Bedtime attire: NIGHTDRESS
- 21. Silicon Valley V.I.P.: TECHCEO
- 23. Oslo Accords grp.: PLO
- 24. Gold medalist in women's soccer and women's team foil (fencing) at 2024's Olympics, in brief: THEUS
- 25. Part of many home improvement projects: PAINTJOB
- 30. Fissile rock: SHALE
- 31. Party leader?: HOST
- 32. Something seized, for short: REPO
- 33. Outdoor accommodations with flies: TENTS
- 34. "One ___" (Elizabeth Bishop poem that repeats the line "The ___ of losing isn't hard to master"): ART
- 35. Skin care brand from Japan: CUREL
- 36. Drive: URGE
- 37. Give credit to: CITE
- 38. Suitable for a game of 20 Questions, in a way: YESNO
- 39. Establishments selling craft products?: BEERBARS
- 41. Appears less impressive: PALES
- 42. It's meant to be believed: ISM
- 43. Rich: MONEYED
- 45. Meet an unmet need: FILLTHEGAP
- 50. ___ bowl: ACAI
- 51. Queue words: ONEATATIME
- 52. Discover alternative: VISA
- 53. Author of the story collections "The Little Disturbances of Man" (1959) and "Enormous Changes at the Last Minute" (1974): GRACEPALEY
- 54. ___ mess (British dessert): ETON
- 55. Traditional Passover dish: SEDERPLATE
- 56. Scot's word meaning "past": SYNE
down
- 1. Academy figure: CADET
- 2. Line of passengers?: AREWETHERE
- 3. Relocating to a different country, e.g.: LIFECHANGE
- 4. Destination for many a rescue: CATSHELTER
- 5. Birds whose wings might be folded?: CRANES
- 6. Prefix with -trope: HELIO
- 7. Modern pen, of a sort: ECIG
- 8. Seafood-based ingredient in Eastern cuisines: FISHPASTE
- 9. Like someone performing a monologue, maybe: SPOTLIT
- 10. Part of the hamstring: TENDON
- 11. Fem. or masc.: ABBR
- 12. Tunnel (into): BORE
- 13. Lane in Superman movies: LOIS
- 14. Just gets (by): EKES
- 22. "Psst" and "Go!": CUES
- 25. Things that ships, computers and wine retailers all have: PORTS
- 26. Plant parts that develop as a seedling grows: TRUELEAVES
- 27. Urban locale that looks out on Ellis Island: JERSEYCITY
- 28. When anything goes: OPENSEASON
- 29. Tie with string: BOLO
- 30. One getting ripped off at a venue: STUB
- 31. Poison classification: HAIRMETAL
- 35. Relative of turquoise: CYAN
- 37. Competitor of Venmo: CASHAPP
- 40. Like the herbs on a 55-Across: BITTER
- 41. Wimpy friend?: POPEYE
- 43. "The Duck Variations" playwright: MAMET
- 44. Lane in Superman movies: DIANE
- 45. States of confusion: FOGS
- 46. About: INRE
- 47. Material theorized as a possible cause of ancient Rome's decline, given its widespread use: LEAD
- 48. Berate, with "into": LACE
- 49. ___ monster: GILA
More daily puzzle hints
- WordleGuess the five-letter word in six triesGuide & tips
- ConnectionsSort 16 words into four hidden groupsGuide & tips
- StrandsFind the themed words hidden in a letter gridGuide & tips
- Spelling BeeMake words from seven letters around a center letterGuide & tips
- Mini CrosswordA bite-size crossword you can finish over coffeeGuide & tips
- Connections: Sports EditionConnections with a sports-only word poolGuide & tips
- Letter BoxedChain words around a square using all 12 lettersGuide & tips
- Midi CrosswordThe mid-size crossword between the Mini and the dailyGuide & tips
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.