Submissions are now closed. We will reopen normal submissions on July 7, 2025, and you will be able to submit up to three puzzles. We will still be reviewing already submitted puzzles while we are closed, so you may still hear from us. In the meantime, please review our submission guidelines below in preparation for when we reopen.

A New York Times crossword will be a collaboration between you and our staff of editors, who will seek to preserve your voice while making the puzzle as enjoyable as possible for solvers. This page of guidelines is a living document and reflects our current best practices on crossword construction.

A summary of what we look for:

Lively fill, with words, phrases and names that solvers know or can infer from the crossings.

Original, on-target clues, pitched at the puzzle’s intended difficulty level, including a variety of cultural reference points.

No more than three puzzles pending at a time.

What we could use more of: Thursday and Sunday puzzles that don’t involve a rebus.

Submission Guidelines

Themes should be fresh, interesting, narrowly defined and consistently applied throughout the puzzle. For example, if the theme includes a particular kind of pun, then all the puns should be of that kind. Themes and theme entries should be accessible to everyone. We generally prefer puzzles with playful themes rather than straightforward subjects.