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NYT Daily • August 8, 2025
What's hard to read in a text
Answer:
TONE
Hint:
"Here’s a helpful hint for your crossword clue: "It’s not the words themselves, but how they feel—often lost in writing." This hint guides the solver toward the idea of emotional or attitudinal expression in text, which is harder to perceive than the literal words, without directly giving away "tone.""
Explanation:
The clue "What's hard to read in a text" leads to the answer "TONE" through a clever play on the dual meanings of the word. 1. Literal Meaning: In written communication, "tone" refers to the attitude or emotion conveyed by the words, which can be difficult to discern without vocal cues or facial expressions. Hence, it is "hard to read" in a text.