NYT Crossword Clues for May 16, 2026

Clues are grouped by Across and Down. Answers stay hidden until you reveal the one you need.

Need the complete solution? See full daily answers.

Across Clues

Modern "go-to's" 4 letters / Daily

URLS Reveal Hide

Curtain for silhouetting on stage 5 letters / Daily

SCRIM Reveal Hide

up, perhaps 10 letters / Daily

EVENSTEVEN Reveal Hide

10A

Bird on the South Carolina state quarter 4 letters / Daily

WREN Reveal Hide

14A

Capote or chesterfield 4 letters / Daily

COAT Reveal Hide

15A

Emulates E.T., in a way 10 letters / Daily

PHONESHOME Reveal Hide

17A

Roman goddess who drives a two-horse chariot 4 letters / Daily

LUNA Reveal Hide

18A

Precious self-reference 10 letters / Daily

LITTLEOLME Reveal Hide

19A

Name shared by the singer of the #1 hit "Rock Me Gently" (1974) and the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate (2024) 7 letters / Daily

ANDYKIM Reveal Hide

21A

Double-___ cassowary (bird of Indonesia and Australia) 7 letters / Daily

WATTLED Reveal Hide

22A

Matches with forensics 14 letters / Daily

DEBATECONTESTS Reveal Hide

24A

Occasions to relax and recharge 6 letters / Daily

MEDAYS Reveal Hide

25A

Obama's third secretary of defense (2013-15) 5 letters / Daily

HAGEL Reveal Hide

26A

Gasoline brand that offered the Torch Club credit card 5 letters / Daily

AMOCO Reveal Hide

27A

Aid in making salsa 5 letters / Daily

DICER Reveal Hide

28A

Operculum, e.g. 3 letters / Daily

LID Reveal Hide

31A

Capital of Greenland 4 letters / Daily

NUUK Reveal Hide

32A

They're hard to pull off 5 letters / Daily

FEATS Reveal Hide

33A

Spa service, in brief 4 letters / Daily

MANI Reveal Hide

34A

Up to snuff, facetiously 3 letters / Daily

EPT Reveal Hide

35A

Trickles 5 letters / Daily

SEEPS Reveal Hide

36A

Cup holders 5 letters / Daily

ZARFS Reveal Hide

37A

Many a Porsche 911 5 letters / Daily

COUPE Reveal Hide

38A

Practical types who are often perfectionists, it's said 6 letters / Daily

VIRGOS Reveal Hide

39A

Don't start with me! 14 letters / Daily

SECONDSTRINGER Reveal Hide

43A

Difficult effort 7 letters / Daily

TRAVAIL Reveal Hide

44A

Cut out 7 letters / Daily

EXCISED Reveal Hide

46A

Setting for Seurat's "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" 10 letters / Daily

RIVERSEINE Reveal Hide

48A

Cold-smoked lox 4 letters / Daily

NOVA Reveal Hide

49A

up, perhaps 10 letters / Daily

EVENSTEVEN Reveal Hide

50A

Gulf of ___, waters that abut Djibouti and Somaliland 4 letters / Daily

ADEN Reveal Hide

51A

Vanilla units 4 letters / Daily

PODS Reveal Hide

52A

Spouts 5 letters / Daily

SPEWS Reveal Hide

53A

Romp 4 letters / Daily

LARK Reveal Hide

Down Clues

Victor over Washington on 11/12/1955 in "Back to the Future, Pt. II" — and in real life 4 letters / Daily

UCLA Reveal Hide

Cattle call 9 letters / Daily

ROUNDEMUP Reveal Hide

Went wide or long, as a tennis ball 9 letters / Daily

LANDEDOUT Reveal Hide

"No closer!" 8 letters / Daily

STAYBACK Reveal Hide

Takes off 6 letters / Daily

SPLITS Reveal Hide

Wind pipe? 5 letters / Daily

CHIME Reveal Hide

Blight 3 letters / Daily

ROT Reveal Hide

Getting a break on Broadway? 9 letters / Daily

INTWOACTS Reveal Hide

Medleys 8 letters / Daily

MELANGES Reveal Hide

10D

Marriott property with the slogan "Whatever Whenever" 6 letters / Daily

WHOTEL Reveal Hide

11D

Triumphs smoothly 5 letters / Daily

ROLLS Reveal Hide

12D

___ Brickowski ("The Lego Movie" protagonist) 5 letters / Daily

EMMET Reveal Hide

13D

"What this country ___ ..." 5 letters / Daily

NEEDS Reveal Hide

16D

Certain volleyballer 6 letters / Daily

SETTER Reveal Hide

20D

Deck 4 letters / Daily

KAYO Reveal Hide

23D

Once-popular terra-cotta figurine 7 letters / Daily

CHIAPET Reveal Hide

24D

Trigger hair 4 letters / Daily

MANE Reveal Hide

27D

State in which Gulliver is discovered by the Lilliputians 9 letters / Daily

DEEPSLEEP Reveal Hide

28D

Combo meal upgrade 9 letters / Daily

LARGESODA Reveal Hide

29D

Going back ages 9 letters / Daily

INFOREVER Reveal Hide

30D

___ track 4 letters / Daily

DISS Reveal Hide

32D

Folks who enjoy a well-aged beef? 8 letters / Daily

FEUDISTS Reveal Hide

33D

Borderline 8 letters / Daily

MARGINAL Reveal Hide

35D

Echolocation systems 6 letters / Daily

SONARS Reveal Hide

36D

Element between copper and gallium on the periodic table 4 letters / Daily

ZINC Reveal Hide

37D

Spelling combinations? 6 letters / Daily

COVENS Reveal Hide

38D

They're concerned with feeding kits 6 letters / Daily

VIXENS Reveal Hide

39D

Pharyngeal woe 5 letters / Daily

STREP Reveal Hide

40D

Cynthia ___, Tony winner for "The Color Purple" 5 letters / Daily

ERIVO Reveal Hide

41D

Buckled 5 letters / Daily

CAVED Reveal Hide

42D

Extend, in a way 5 letters / Daily

RENEW Reveal Hide

45D

Chilly and damp 4 letters / Daily

DANK Reveal Hide

47D

"___ noticed" 3 letters / Daily

IVE Reveal Hide