The answer to the “ditto for us” NYT Crossword clue is SOAREWE.
Read it as two words: So are we. It is a seven-letter phrase written as one continuous entry in the grid, which is standard for all multi-word crossword answers.
If you came here to confirm that and move on — you have it. If you want to understand why that specific answer fits, and how to handle it when a similar clue shows up again, keep reading.
Table of Contents
Why the Answer Is “So Are We”
The word “us” is the most important part of this clue. It signals that the answer has to come from a group, not a single speaker.
“Me too” and “same here” are the natural first instincts, but both are singular. They work when one person is agreeing with something. The moment the clue says for us, it is asking for a response that reflects multiple people sharing the same feeling — and so are we does exactly that.
Say someone at the table says, “We’re completely worn out.” Your whole group nods along. The response is “So are we” — not “me too.”
That is the grammatical shift the clue is built around.
SOAREWE, SODOWE, or USTOO — How to Pick the Right One
The phrase “ditto for us” can lead to three different answers depending on the specific grid you are working with. Here is a quick way to separate them:
| Answer | Letters | When It Fits |
|---|---|---|
| SOAREWE | 7 | Group echoing a state of being — “we are” |
| SODOWE | 6 | Group echoing an action — “we do” |
| USTOO | 5 | Informal shorthand, less common in NYT |
Step 1 — Count the squares. The letter count alone narrows it down fast.
Step 2 — Check the verb. If the implied sentiment involves a state of being (“we are exhausted,” “we are ready”), the answer is SOAREWE. If it involves an action (“we do agree,” “we do think so”), it is SODOWE.
Step 3 — Use your crossings. If the third letter is R, it confirms SOAREWE. If the second letter is D, it is SODOWE. The crossing entries in any NYT puzzle are built to guide you to the right version — lean on them.
Where This Clue Appeared
The “ditto for us” clue ran at 16-Across in the May 29, 2025 NYT Crossword — a Thursday edition.
Thursday is the fourth day on the NYT’s weekly difficulty scale, which runs Monday through Saturday from easiest to hardest. Thursday puzzles are where the crossword gets conversational. Misdirection, informal phrasing, and spoken idioms are all fair game. Clues pulled from casual everyday speech — exactly like this one — are a consistent feature of Thursday and Friday grids under editor Will Shortz.
The phrase ditto itself has been in English long enough to feel unremarkable, but it started in Italian commercial bookkeeping. The word detto meant “said” and was used to avoid writing the same item twice in a ledger. Over time it became shorthand for “same as above” — and eventually just “same.” The crossword takes that meaning and flips it into a group setting.
One Thing to Remember
When a crossword clue uses a word like us, we, or our, it is almost always pointing toward a plural answer. That one grammatical detail cuts through the ambiguity faster than anything else.
For the ditto for us crossword clue, the answer is SOAREWE — and now you know exactly why.
