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Today's NYT Crossword Answers

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October 28, 2026 16×16 grid 86 clues Wednesday
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Hints, one at a time

Welcome back, puzzler. The NYT Crossword for Wednesday, October 28, 2026 is live: a 16x16 grid with 86 clues to fill in, 38 Across and 48 Down. If yesterday's grid took you a while, today's is a fresh start.

Here's how this page works: the five hints below start with nothing but opening letters and end with two entries handed over outright, so reveal them one at a time and stop the moment the long answers start falling. The full set of answers sits in the green box further down, organized by Across and Down, locked behind a tap. Nothing here reveals itself on its own, not a long entry and not the shortest crossing.

Letters first, then whole entries. Stop when the long answers begin to fall.

1 Across starting lettersHow does every Across entry open? 1 B · 7 O · 11 O · 15 A · 16 C · 17 R · 18 H · 20 I · 21 A · 22 B · 23 W · 24 I · 29 L · 30 O · 31 A · 34 E · 37 G · 40 B · 42 O · 43 B · 44 V · 47 A · 48 A · 50 S · 51 S · 53 W · 54 I · 62 N · 63 S · 64 T · 65 T · 66 S · 70 O · 71 H · 72 B · 73 W · 74 E · 75 S.
2 Down starting lettersAnd every Down entry? 1 B · 2 E · 3 N · 4 D · 5 E · 6 R · 7 O · 8 L · 9 E · 10 S · 11 O · 12 R · 13 A · 14 L · 19 O · 23 W · 25 A · 26 L · 27 I · 28 S · 31 A · 32 F · 33 L · 34 E · 35 A · 36 R · 38 O · 39 B · 41 I · 42 O · 45 A · 46 F · 48 A · 49 R · 52 I · 53 W · 54 I · 55 W · 56 O · 57 P · 58 L · 59 A · 60 M · 61 E · 66 S · 67 Q · 68 U · 69 O.
3 The longest entryWhich entry is doing the most work? 24 Across ("Dr. Frankenstein, in 1931's "Frankenstein"") runs 16 letters, starts with I and ends with E.
4 A foothold, freeGive me one entry outright? 24 Across is ITSALIVEITSALIVE. On a full grid the longest entry crosses a dozen others, so this is the cheapest way in.
5 The three-letter fillWhat are the 3-letter answers? 21 Across is ACT, 37 Across is GOB, 47 Across is ADD, 64 Across is TEA, 4 Down is DOE, 5 Down is ELS, 6 Down is RAJ, 10 Down is SPY, 28 Down is SOL, 36 Down is REY, 41 Down is IVE, 49 Down is ROT, 66 Down is SHE, 67 Down is QBS, 68 Down is URL, 69 Down is OUI. Short entries are the classic crosswordese that unlock everything around them.

Drumroll, please…

NYT Crossword Answers for October 28

Answers hidden · tap a tile strip to reveal

Across (38)

  1. 1

    "Futurama" robot

    6-letter words ·start with B ·end in R

  2. 7

    Stadium shouts

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in S

  3. 11

    Like some vaccines

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in L

  4. 15

    Colored part of an eye

    6-letter words ·start with A ·end in A

  5. 16

    Fish whose name is a synonym for "complain"

    4-letter words ·start with C ·end in P

  6. 17

    Gullible sort

    4-letter words ·start with R ·end in E

  7. 18

    Jack Torrance, in "The Shining"

    11-letter words ·start with H ·end in Y

  8. 20

    Machu Picchu constructor

    4-letter words ·start with I ·end in A

  9. 21

    Not remain silent, maybe

    3-letter words ·start with A ·end in T

  10. 22

    Top choices?

    4-letter words ·start with B ·end in S

  11. 23

    Customary behaviors

    5-letter words ·start with W ·end in S

  12. 24

    Dr. Frankenstein, in 1931's "Frankenstein"

    16-letter words ·start with I ·end in E

  13. 29

    First in a line of 14 popes

    4-letter words ·start with L ·end in I

  14. 30

    Draft cattle

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in N

  15. 31

    Not in financial trouble

    6-letter words ·start with A ·end in T

  16. 34

    ___ riser

    5-letter words ·start with E ·end in Y

  17. 37

    Dollop

    3-letter words ·start with G ·end in B

  18. 40

    With 44-Across, Veronica Quaife, in "The Fly"

    10-letter words ·start with B ·end in E

  19. 42

    Prefix with presence or science

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in I

  20. 43

    Light hit at the plate

    4-letter words ·start with B ·end in T

  21. 44

    See 40-Across

    10-letter words ·start with V ·end in D

  22. 47

    Combine

    3-letter words ·start with A ·end in D

  23. 48

    Megastar's venue

    5-letter words ·start with A ·end in A

  24. 50

    Slopes to the side

    6-letter words ·start with S ·end in S

  25. 51

    Isolate, in corporate-speak

    4-letter words ·start with S ·end in O

  26. 53

    "Stop," as said to someone filling a cup

    4-letter words ·start with W ·end in N

  27. 54

    Jigsaw, in "Saw"

    16-letter words ·start with I ·end in E

  28. 62

    Silently acknowledge

    5-letter words ·start with N ·end in O

  29. 63

    Wallop

    4-letter words ·start with S ·end in G

  30. 64

    Matcha or Darjeeling

    3-letter words ·start with T ·end in A

  31. 65

    Affectedly cute

    4-letter words ·start with T ·end in E

  32. 66

    Indicators of irony … or a way to describe the answers to 18-, 24-, 40-/44- and 54-Across?

    11-letter words ·start with S ·end in S

  33. 70

    United Arab Emirates neighbor

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in N

  34. 71

    Visibility impediment

    4-letter words ·start with H ·end in E

  35. 72

    Boxing match result, maybe

    6-letter words ·start with B ·end in E

  36. 73

    Join securely

    4-letter words ·start with W ·end in D

  37. 74

    Historian's segments

    4-letter words ·start with E ·end in S

  38. 75

    Cut up

    6-letter words ·start with S ·end in D

Down (48)

  1. 1

    Religion with the key text Kitáb-i-Aqdas

    5-letter words ·start with B ·end in I

  2. 2

    Build, as a building

    5-letter words ·start with E ·end in T

  3. 3

    Old-timey "Darn!"

    5-letter words ·start with N ·end in S

  4. 4

    One chasing the big bucks?

    3-letter words ·start with D ·end in E

  5. 5

    Aboveground transports

    3-letter words ·start with E ·end in S

  6. 6

    Colonial rule in India

    3-letter words ·start with R ·end in J

  7. 7

    Brownish-yellow shade

    5-letter words ·start with O ·end in E

  8. 8

    Hawaii's sixth-largest island

    5-letter words ·start with L ·end in I

  9. 9

    German artist Max

    5-letter words ·start with E ·end in T

  10. 10

    Profession in many Hitchcock films

    3-letter words ·start with S ·end in Y

  11. 11

    M.L.B. player whose cap has an orange visor

    6-letter words ·start with O ·end in E

  12. 12

    Shuffling dance move popular in the 1990s

    10-letter words ·start with R ·end in N

  13. 13

    "Abbott Elementary" airer

    5-letter words ·start with A ·end in V

  14. 14

    One might be month-to-month

    5-letter words ·start with L ·end in E

  15. 19

    "It's so clear," in slang

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in I

  16. 23

    Like some seals

    4-letter words ·start with W ·end in Y

  17. 25

    In the air

    5-letter words ·start with A ·end in T

  18. 26

    King who disowns Cordelia

    4-letter words ·start with L ·end in R

  19. 27

    Speck

    4-letter words ·start with I ·end in A

  20. 28

    San José sun

    3-letter words ·start with S ·end in L

  21. 31

    Popular band that had a 40-year gap (1981-2021) between its last two studio albums

    4-letter words ·start with A ·end in A

  22. 32

    Fight à la the Capulets and Montagues

    4-letter words ·start with F ·end in D

  23. 33

    Finalizes the business agreement, say

    10-letter words ·start with L ·end in L

  24. 34

    Site of a tempting offer

    4-letter words ·start with E ·end in N

  25. 35

    Pokémon critter with a yellow snout and short, pointed ears

    4-letter words ·start with A ·end in A

  26. 36

    Jedi of "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

    3-letter words ·start with R ·end in Y

  27. 38

    "Consider this taken care of"

    4-letter words ·start with O ·end in T

  28. 39

    Actions at auctions

    4-letter words ·start with B ·end in S

  29. 41

    "___ got bad news"

    3-letter words ·start with I ·end in E

  30. 42

    Member of the genus Pongo, informally

    5-letter words ·start with O ·end in G

  31. 45

    Like a used grill

    4-letter words ·start with A ·end in Y

  32. 46

    Pet pest

    4-letter words ·start with F ·end in A

  33. 48

    Etta James, vocally

    4-letter words ·start with A ·end in O

  34. 49

    Cause a stink?

    3-letter words ·start with R ·end in T

  35. 52

    Plan (to)

    6-letter words ·start with I ·end in D

  36. 53

    Word with freeze or hike

    4-letter words ·start with W ·end in E

  37. 54

    Being dragged along

    5-letter words ·start with I ·end in W

  38. 55

    "Knock my socks off!"

    5-letter words ·start with W ·end in E

  39. 56

    ___ Isaac, Dr. Frankenstein portrayer in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein"

    5-letter words ·start with O ·end in R

  40. 57

    City square

    5-letter words ·start with P ·end in A

  41. 58

    They might be shaped like minnows or flies

    5-letter words ·start with L ·end in S

  42. 59

    Top-level storage space

    5-letter words ·start with A ·end in C

  43. 60

    Group of antlered deer, humorously

    5-letter words ·start with M ·end in E

  44. 61

    Made less severe

    5-letter words ·start with E ·end in D

  45. 66

    The Beatles' "___ Came in Through the Bathroom Window"

    3-letter words ·start with S ·end in E

  46. 67

    Jalen Hurts and Joe Montana, for two, informally

    3-letter words ·start with Q ·end in S

  47. 68

    Something to click

    3-letter words ·start with U ·end in L

  48. 69

    Sí, across the Pyrenees

    3-letter words ·start with O ·end in I

Blank tiles show each answer's length. Tap a strip to fill it in. Stuck on one? First letters deals just each entry's opening tile.

Yesterday's longest answer: WOOLLYMAMMOTH · full breakdown ›

About today's grid October 28

Answer count

86 answers in total: 38 Across and 48 Down.

Longest and shortest

The longest answer runs 16 letters; the shortest run 3 letters (16 of them).

Letter check

A is today's most common letter, appearing 29 times across the grid.

By the numbers

Published Wednesday, October 28, 2026, edited by Will Shortz and built by Daniel Grinberg.

Crossword strategy that actually helps

Proven habits from top solvers, useful today and every day.

Do a first pass for gimmes

Skim every clue before committing to one. Short, direct clues (abbreviations, fill-in-the-blanks) fall fastest and open up the grid.

Fill the short answers first

Three and four letter answers lean on common words and abbreviations, so bank those before the long ones.

Watch for question marks

A "?" means the clue is playing a game with you. From Thursday onward the question marks cluster around the gimmick, so treat them as a map of the theme.

Lean on crossings

Unsure of a letter? Solve the crossing clue instead of guessing, and let it fill the gap for you.

Work in sections

A big grid is really several small ones stitched together. Clear one corner fully before moving to the next.

Difficulty grows through the week

Monday and Tuesday puzzles lean on straightforward definitions; by Friday and Saturday, expect trickier wordplay and less common vocabulary. Sunday is typically Thursday-level with a bigger grid.

How to play NYT Crossword

The rules in full, for anyone arriving without them.

The New York Times Crossword is the daily flagship: a full-size grid of interlocking answers that has run since 1942. Unlike most puzzles, its difficulty is scheduled, climbing steadily from Monday to Saturday.

  1. 1 Sweep the Acrosses, then the Downs

    Fill in only what you are certain of on the first pass. Confidence, not completeness, is the goal of the opening sweep.
  2. 2 Anchor on the long answers

    The longest entries usually carry the theme. Cracking one gives you a letter in almost every crossing word.
  3. 3 Read the clue exactly as written

    Tense, plurality, and part of speech in the clue always match the answer. A question mark signals wordplay, and an abbreviation in the clue means an abbreviated answer.
  4. 4 Finish the grid

    There is no guess limit. Solvers who care about the streak simply have to finish before the next day starts.
Made by

The New York Times, edited by Will Shortz

The board

15 by 15 Monday to Saturday, 21 by 21 on Sunday

Your limit

No limit

Resets

10pm Eastern the night before (6pm for Sunday and Monday)

The day of the week is the single best hint you get. Monday clues are straight definitions, Thursday almost always breaks a rule with a gimmick, and Saturday is the hardest of the week despite having no theme at all.

NYT Crossword, answered

Quick answers to the questions we get every day.

What time does the new Crossword come out?

The daily Crossword resets at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before for digital subscribers, and at midnight local time once it's live everywhere. The Crossword posts at 10pm Eastern on weeknights and 6pm at weekends, so the next day's grid is live well before midnight.

Why do puzzles get harder through the week?

The NYT ramps difficulty on purpose: Monday is the easiest day and Saturday the hardest, with Sunday landing at a mid-week difficulty on a larger grid. Same editorial team, same clue conventions, just more wordplay and less common vocabulary as the week goes on.

How is the full Crossword different from the Mini?

The Mini is a small grid, usually 5x5, solvable in a couple of minutes. The full daily Crossword runs 15x15 on weekdays and up to 21x21 on Sundays, with dozens more clues and a much wider range of difficulty across the week.

Can I play past Crossword puzzles?

Yes, if you're an NYT Games subscriber, the app and site keep a deep archive of past puzzles. This page focuses on the two most recent: today's and yesterday's.

Which day of the week is hardest?

Saturday, not Sunday. Difficulty climbs from Monday to Saturday, and the Saturday grid is themeless specifically so the clues can be as oblique as the editor likes. Sunday is larger at 21 by 21 but sits around Thursday in difficulty, so it takes longer without being harder.

Play on NYT ↗

NYT Crossword guides

Longer reads for getting better, beyond today's puzzle.

Today's hints for every game

Same spoiler-safe format, for each daily puzzle we cover.

Wordle5 letters · hints first NYT Connections4 groups · hints first Connections SportsSports edition groups NYT StrandsSpangram + theme words NYT Mini CrosswordAll clues answered NYT Midi CrosswordMidi clues & answers NYT PipsAll 3 difficulties solved NYT SudokuAll 3 grids solved NYT Spelling BeePangram + word list NYT Letter BoxedToday's best solution ContextoClosest words today QuordleAll four answers OctordleAll eight answers WaffleSwaps + solution grid PhrazleBoth daily phrases Daily JumbleAll words unscrambled KeywordToday's missing letters BlossomPangram + best words Minute CrypticDaily cryptic clue BetweenleGuess the word in between Bracket CityNested clues, one fact

Past NYT Crossword answers

The longest answer from each recent grid from the last two weeks. A full crossword has no single solution, so we list the marquee entry: the longest fill, which is usually the one carrying the theme. Today's stays blurred until you tap it.

DateAnswer
Oct 28Today ITSALIVEITSALIVE
Oct 27 WOOLLYMAMMOTH
Oct 26 JUSTTHISONETIME
Oct 25 BUTCHERBLOCK
Oct 24 HOLEINTHEWALL
Oct 23 ITSALLALIE
Oct 22 ALAMODOME
Oct 21 MOVINGAVERAGE
Oct 20 ALLKIDDINGASIDE
Oct 19 FAWNINGOVER
Oct 18 IDONTSAYTHISLIGHTLY
Oct 17 CHEFSTABLE
Oct 16 OOPSIDIDITAGAIN
Oct 15 GUARANTEED