NYT Crossword — December 5, 2025
Friday’s 15 × 15 puzzle, 68 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.
0 of 68 revealed
1G
2H
3A
4N
5A
6S
7A
8U
9D
10I
11S
E
A
S
O
N
12T
I
C
K
E
T
13S
14D
O
N
T
P
O
K
E
T
H
E
B
E
A
15R
16E
V
E
17E
N
L
A
C
E
S
18R
I
A
19R
I
S
20E
N
21E
R
O
S
22C
A
L
I
23M
E
E
R
24S
T
E
M
25B
A
T
O
N
26A
T
T
A
27C
K
A
D
28L
O
N
E
R
S
29S
L
I
T
30M
I
N
I
31S
32C
33R
E
A
M
34T
A
K
E
T
35H
36A
37T
38A
L
A
R
M
39R
A
T
E
40B
O
T
H
41L
A
Y
S
42P
I
L
E
43P
E
S
T
O
44A
R
K
45A
L
B
E
R
46T
A
47T
E
N
48H
E
R
49E
G
O
E
S
N
O
T
50H
I
N
G
51T
O
D
A
Y
Y
E
A
R
S
O
L
D
52C
U
R
S
E
53L
E
Y
T
E
Across
32 cluesDown
36 cluesClick a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.
Stats & info
Friday, Dec 5, 202515×15
Grid size
68
Total entries
35/190
Black / letter cells
5.6
Avg entry length
15 ltrs
Longest entry
Hard
Friday difficulty
PuzzleThe Crossword
PublishedDec 5, 2025
DayFriday
ThemeThemeless
ConstructorJames McCarron
EditorWill Shortz
Clue split32 across · 36 down
Longest entries
14AWords of caution15 ltrs48A"Might as well give it a shot ..."15 ltrs11ACan't-miss purchases?13 ltrs51AAge at which you just learned something you should have realized before, facetiously13 ltrs26ASpot likely to smear8 ltrs
Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 35 black squares and averages 5.6 letters per entry.