You’re sitting there with your morning coffee, the New York Times app open, and you’re staring at a four-letter or five-letter void. The clue says: settles as the stomach. It feels like it should be easy. It's one of those visceral, physical descriptions the NYT constructors love to throw at us. But then you realize "growls" doesn't fit and "aches" is too short.
That's the beauty—and the frustration—of the crossword world. Words like "settles" aren't always about making a home or paying a debt. In the context of a stomach, it’s usually about that slow, heavy sink or a specific physical reaction. Most often, if you're looking at a four-letter answer, you're looking for SANK. If it's more about the digestive process or something a bit more metaphorical, the puzzle might be playing with your head.
Solving the Settles as the Stomach NYT Puzzle
Crossword puzzles are basically a battle of synonyms. When a constructor writes "settles as the stomach," they are leaning into the feeling of dread. Think about that moment you realize you left your stove on or you see a "we need to talk" text. Your stomach doesn't just "go down." It sinks.
Sank is the classic answer here. It appears frequently in the Monday or Tuesday puzzles where the wordplay is light but the definitions are precise. However, don't get married to one answer. Crosswords are fickle. Sometimes the clue is looking for REELS or KNOTS, though those usually have slightly different descriptors.
The NYT Crossword, edited for years by Will Shortz (and more recently managed by Joel Fagliano during Shortz's recovery), relies on these "hidden" meanings. "Settles" is a broad verb. It can mean to colonize, to calm down, or to sink to the bottom of a liquid. In anatomy, or at least the crossword version of it, it almost always refers to that heavy, downward movement.
The Anatomy of a Crossword Clue
Why does the NYT use this specific phrasing? It’s about the "Aha!" moment. If they just wrote "descended," it would be too easy. By using "settles," they force your brain to cycle through different contexts. You think of a pioneer settling the West. You think of a dust cloud settling on a shelf. Only after a few seconds do you pivot to the gut.
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It’s actually a bit of a linguistic trick. In English, we use "settle" to describe something finding its final place. When your stomach "settles" after being upset, it’s a good thing. But when it "settles" in response to bad news, it’s that sinking feeling. The NYT loves that duality. It’s why you’ll see similar clues like "Butterflies' home?" for STOMACH or "Interior feeling?" for HUNCH.
Common Variations and Word Lengths
If you're stuck, count the boxes. It’s the simplest advice, but people forget it when they’re frustrated.
- SANK (4 letters): This is the most common. It describes the motion. It’s direct.
- STAY (4 letters): Occasionally used in a more medicinal sense (e.g., "to stay the stomach"), though it's rarer in modern grids.
- QUELLED (7 letters): If you're looking for a longer word, this usually refers to "settling" a stomach through medicine or ginger ale.
- SINK (4 letters): The present tense of the motion.
Crossword veterans know that the tense of the clue matters. "Settles" is third-person singular, present tense. Technically, the answer should be SINKS. But if the clue is "Settled as the stomach," then SANK is your winner. Always match your tenses. If the clue ends in "-ing," the answer almost certainly ends in "-ing."
The Evolution of the NYT Crossword Style
Crosswords have changed. Back in the mid-20th century, clues were much more dictionary-heavy. You’d get "A genus of African trees" or "Obscure Greek deity." Today, the NYT focuses on "New York Times-speak"—a blend of pop culture, puns, and everyday experiences.
"Settles as the stomach" is a very modern-style clue. It evokes a feeling rather than just a definition. It’s relatable. Everyone has felt their stomach sink. Not everyone knows a 14th-century poet from Uzbekistan. This shift is why the puzzle remains the gold standard for daily solvers. It’s about how we live and speak now.
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Why We Get Stuck on Simple Clues
Psychologically, we often overthink. We assume the NYT is trying to trick us with some medical term like "gastric" or "bolus." Honestly, the simplest answer is usually the right one. Our brains tend to skip over common words in favor of complex ones because we respect the puzzle's difficulty.
There’s also the "crosswordese" factor. These are words that appear in puzzles far more often than in real life. Words like ERIE, ALEE, or ETUI. While "sank" isn't exactly crosswordese, the way it's clued through "settles" is a common trope. Once you see it once, you’ll never miss it again. It becomes part of your internal solver's dictionary.
Beyond the Grid: The Physical Sensation
Let's talk about the actual feeling for a second. When your stomach "settles" or sinks, it’s actually a vasovagal response. Your heart rate might dip, and blood flow shifts. It’s a physical manifestation of emotion. Crossword constructors are surprisingly good at tapping into these human moments. They aren't just robots generating grids; they are people trying to capture the human experience in 15x15 squares.
If you are looking for this clue in a Sunday puzzle, be prepared for a pun. Sunday puzzles are the giants, the ones with themes and "rebus" squares (where multiple letters fit into one box). A Sunday version of this clue might be "Settles a stomach ache?" with the answer being something like ANTACID. Context is everything.
How to Improve Your Solving Speed
If you're tired of being stumped by clues like settles as the stomach nyt, there are ways to get better that don't involve memorizing the dictionary.
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- Solve every day. The NYT gets progressively harder throughout the week. Monday is the easiest, Saturday is the hardest, and Sunday is just big.
- Check the crosses. If you aren't sure about "SANK," look at the vertical words intersecting it. Even one or two confirmed letters can confirm your hunch.
- Use a pencil. Or, if you're on the app, don't be afraid to delete. Holding onto a wrong answer is the fastest way to get stuck for an hour.
- Learn the constructors. People like Robyn Weintraub or Brendan Emmett Quigley have distinct styles. Once you get used to their "voice," you can predict how they might clue a word like "settles."
The Culture of the NYT Crossword
The community around this puzzle is massive. There are blogs like Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle or the Wordplay column by the Times itself. People get genuinely heated about whether a clue is "fair."
Is "settles" a fair synonym for "sinks"? Some might argue it’s a stretch. But in the world of high-level wordplay, "fair" is subjective. If the crosses work and the logic holds up—even if it's a bit "kinda-sorta" logic—it stays in the grid. That’s what makes the NYT the heavyweight champion of puzzles. It pushes the boundaries of how we define words.
Actionable Tips for Your Next Puzzle
Don't just stare at the screen. If you're hitting a wall with a clue like this, walk away. Your brain keeps working on it in the background. It’s called incubation. You’ll be washing dishes or walking the dog, and suddenly—boom—the word SANK pops into your head.
- Read the clue out loud. Sometimes hearing the words helps you break out of the mental loop of the written text.
- Think of opposites. If "settles" isn't working, think of the opposite of a stomach sinking. Rising? Flopping? This can sometimes trigger the right synonym.
- Focus on the vowels. In a 4-letter word like SANK, the vowel is usually in the second or third position. If you have the 'A', the rest of the word starts to reveal itself.
The next time you see settles as the stomach nyt, you won't be frustrated. You'll recognize it as a classic piece of puzzle architecture. It’s a little nudge from the constructor, a small reminder that words are fluid, and the way we describe our bodies is often more poetic than clinical. Keep your pencil sharp and your mind open. The grid is always solvable if you give it enough time.
Next Steps for Solvers:
To truly master the NYT style, start tracking the clues that trip you up in a digital note. You will notice that "settles" appears in dozens of contexts across different puzzles—from "settles a score" (EVENS) to "settles on a branch" (ALIGHTS). Identifying these "chameleon words" is the fastest way to transition from a casual solver to a pro who finishes the Saturday puzzle in under twenty minutes. Look for patterns in how verbs are used as nouns and vice-versa, as this is the most common trick used to increase difficulty in the midweek grids. Stay consistent with your daily practice, and the vocabulary will become second nature.