{"id":2031,"date":"2026-01-11T07:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T07:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/?p=2031"},"modified":"2026-01-11T07:41:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T07:41:10","slug":"nyt-crossword-analysis-jan-11-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/nyt-crossword-analysis-jan-11-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"NYT Crossword Analysis (Jan 11, 2026): A Greek Mystery!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here are the most difficult NYT Crossword of the week. As we all know, The New York Times presents the extreme mode of its puzzle on Sunday. There is a strange element in today\u2019s crossword which is really hard to reach. However, the constructor put the hint for solving the puzzle in front of your eyes. But I do not tell you where the hint is. Let me unpack the NYT Crossword of Jan. 11 which to me is one the best puzzles in the recent weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The First thing that struck players is the circular shape in the middle of the grid; a circle with a vertical line that there are two T-shaped symbols above and below it. For those familiar with Greek alphabet, it is a regular sign. But for players who are strangers to Greek letters, it will be really hard to decipher the hint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a step back and look at the crossword; Circular shape, two T elements and a vertical line. It is the Greek letter \u03a6 which sounds phi. By knowing this crucial hint, let\u2019s get to the most interesting riddles of crossword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Section 46-Across contains rebus (crossword elements with multiple letters in one square<\/a>); however, with \u03a6 sign, you need just one letter. The question is: Birthstone before opal. I know it is Sapphire, but let\u2019s do it in a Greek way: replace phi with \u03a6 and boom, you have the answer. It is SAP\u03a6RE<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Section 32-Across is bit trickier than the previous one. The question is Game on some kids\u2019 menus. For analyzing this riddle, I should give you the answer which is CR\u03a6SSPUZZLE<\/strong> (Criss Cross puzzle). Wait a minute, you might have asked why \u03a6 sign is replaced with O and I? take a closer look and I would say; it is similar to O and I letter in English language. If you are surprised by this trick, wait for the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

111-Across shows a pattern which is also present in section 38D. The question is: Tupac and Eminem, for two. It is as clear as crystal that they are hip-hop artists. However, in the crossword we have only one square. So what should we do? Now you are witnessing one of the nicest tricks: Use \u03a6 once for I (in Hip) and as O (in Hop) and the answer is with you: H\u03a6PARTISTS<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, \u03a6 can be used as phi, I or O and also a combination of I\/O. It is a nice trick for crossword lovers, isn\u2019t it? The beauty of today’s puzzle is how the \u03a6 symbol forces you to look at the grid not just as a collection of letters, but as a map of shapes. I won’t ruin the joy of finding the remaining Phi-based riddles. Head over to the grid and see if you can spot where else this Greek letter is hiding! Let us know in the comments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you need the answers for daily crossword puzzles like the\u00a0NYT Crossword<\/a>\u00a0or the\u00a0NYT Mini<\/a>, make sure to check\u00a0Daze Puzzle<\/a>\u00a0every day to find the solutions you need in record time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here are the most difficult NYT Crossword of the week. As we all know, The New York Times presents the extreme mode of its puzzle on Sunday. There is a strange element in today\u2019s crossword which is really hard to reach. However, the constructor put the hint for solving the puzzle in front of your …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2035,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2031","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-crossword-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2031"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2031\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2031"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2031"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dazepuzzle.com\/mag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2031"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}