Spanish Goodbye NYT Crossword Clue Explained: ADIOS
The answer to “Spanish goodbye” in the NYT Crossword is ADIOS — the 5-letter Spanish farewell used around the world. Documented in wordings like “So long, amigo” (November 10, 2025) and “Catch ya later!” (March 9, 2025), the ADIOS NYT crossword answer is one of the puzzle’s friendliest regulars.
Why ADIOS?
“Adiós” is Spanish for goodbye, and it literally means “to God” — from a (to) + Dios (God), as in “I commend you to God.” It’s the standard Spanish farewell, the equivalent of the French “adieu” (which shares the same “to God” etymology). English speakers adopted it centuries ago, which is why it feels natural in an English-language crossword: it’s a loanword, not a foreign word.
The ADIOS NYT crossword clue works on two levels. On the surface it’s a vocabulary question — do you know the Spanish word for goodbye? But the NYT rarely clues it that plainly anymore. Instead, constructors dress it up: “So long, amigo” (the “amigo” winks at the Spanish), “Catch ya later!” (the casual register matches adios’s friendly tone), “See ya!” The disguises change; the 5-letter answer doesn’t. That stability is exactly why it appears so often — constructors need reliable 5-letter fill, and ADIOS delivers with three vowels (A-I-O) to boot.
Note the accent question. In Spanish it’s spelled adiós with an accent on the O, but crosswords strip diacritics — the answer is always plain ADIOS. The NYT never uses accents in answers, so don’t let the missing accent throw you. Same rule applies to HOLA, SENOR, and every other Spanish borrowing in the grid.
Solving Tip: Follow the Language Flag
When a clue contains a foreign word — “amigo,” “Seville,” “La Paz” — it’s flagging that the answer is in that language. “So long, amigo” practically announces “the answer is Spanish for ‘so long.'” Train yourself to spot these flags: a Spanish word in the clue means a Spanish word in the answer, an Italian word means an Italian answer (CIAO, ADDIO), a French word means French (ADIEU, AU REVOIR).
For the ADIOS NYT crossword clue, the decision tree is simple: 5 letters + farewell + Spanish flavor = ADIOS. The main alternative is CIAO (4, Italian) — so the letter count decides between them instantly. At 5 letters, ADIOS has almost no competition; at 4, think CIAO. And if the clue says “French farewell,” pivot to ADIEU (also 5). Language + letter count = solved.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ADIOS mean?
Adios is Spanish for “goodbye” — literally “to God” (a + Dios), the same construction as the French “adieu.” It’s the standard Spanish farewell, used across Spain and Latin America. The ADIOS NYT crossword answer has been documented in wordings like “So long, amigo” (November 10, 2025) and “Catch ya later!” (March 9, 2025), and at 5 letters with three vowels it’s ideal crossword fill.
Is it ADIOS or ADDIO?
ADIOS is Spanish; ADDIO is Italian — both mean goodbye, both are 5 letters, and the NYT has used both. The clue’s language flag decides: Spanish context (“amigo,” “Seville,” “La Paz”) means ADIOS; Italian context (“Roma,” “Venice,” “ciao”) means ADDIO. Read the clue’s nationality hints first and you’ll never mix them up.
Why is there no accent on ADIOS in crosswords?
The NYT strips all diacritical marks from answers — no accents, tildes, or umlauts ever appear in the grid. So Spanish adiós becomes ADIOS, señor becomes SENOR. It’s a universal crossword convention, not an error. If you’re ever unsure whether an answer takes an accent in real life, the crossword version never does.
What are common variant clues for ADIOS?
Documented NYT wordings include “So long, amigo,” “Catch ya later!,” “See ya!,” “Farewell, in Seville,” “Later, in La Paz,” and “Spanish goodbye.” The formula is consistent: a casual farewell phrase plus (usually) a Spanish flavor word. For more on how the NYT recycles its favorite words, see our crosswordese guide.
What’s the difference between ADIOS and HASTA LA VISTA?
Both are Spanish farewells, but “hasta la vista” means “until we meet again” (literally “until the sight”), while adios is the plain “goodbye.” In crosswords, HASTALAVISTA is far too long for most slots, so ADIOS dominates. If you ever see a 12-letter Spanish farewell slot, though, you’ll know what to do.
Other NYT crossword clues for ADIOS
The ADIOS NYT crossword clue has been verified in these recent wordings:
- “So long, amigo” — NYT, November 10, 2025; the “amigo” is the Spanish flag.
- “Catch ya later!” — NYT, March 9, 2025; casual register, same 5-letter answer.
- “See ya!” — seen in the NYT family of puzzles; the exclamation mark keeps it breezy.
- “Spanish goodbye” — the plain version; straightforward definition, no wordplay.
- “Farewell, in Seville” / “Later, in La Paz” — the geography-flagged variants; city names signal the language.
Every variant follows one rule: farewell meaning + Spanish signal + 5 letters = ADIOS. Learn the formula and the clue can wear any costume.
How to spot ADIOS in the NYT crossword
Scan for two things: a farewell meaning and a Spanish hint. Words like “amigo,” “Seville,” “Madrid,” “La Paz,” or “fiesta” in the clue are dead giveaways that the answer is Spanish. Combined with a goodbye meaning and a 5-letter slot, ADIOS is as close to certain as crossword answers get. The A-D-I-O-S pattern with vowels at positions 1, 3, and 4 also means crossing letters confirm it quickly — an I or O in the middle is a strong match.
Mind the language trap. If the clue’s flavor word is Italian (“amico,” “Roma”), the answer is ADDIO; if French (“ami,” “Paris”), it’s ADIEU. All three are 5 letters, all three mean goodbye — only the clue’s nationality flag separates them. Read that flag first, and the ADIOS NYT crossword clue becomes one of the grid’s free squares.
ADIOS’s crossword neighbors
ADIOS anchors the NYT’s farewell family, the multilingual cluster of goodbye answers:
- CIAO (4) — Italian hello/goodbye; the 4-letter alternative when ADIOS doesn’t fit.
- ADDIO (5) — Italian goodbye; ADIOS’s direct rival, separated only by the clue’s language flag.
- ADIEU (5) — French goodbye; same “to God” etymology as adios and addio.
- HOLA (4) — Spanish hello; the greeting counterpart — ADIOS says goodbye, HOLA says hi.
- ALOHA (5) — Hawaiian hello/goodbye; the all-in-one farewell.
Notice the beautiful symmetry: three languages, three 5-letter goodbyes (ADIOS, ADDIO, ADIEU), each flagged by its language. The NYT loves this kind of parallel construction. Learn the trio once and you’ll handle every farewell clue the puzzle throws at you.