NYT Mini Crossword Answers Today & Hints

What is the NYT Mini Crossword?

The Mini is the New York Times' bite-sized daily crossword. Most days it is a 5x5 grid with around ten clues, and most solvers finish it in under a minute. Saturday editions are a little larger. It was created by Joel Fagliano in 2014 and remains free to play, which makes it the most played crossword in the NYT Games app.

Because the grid is so small, the Mini leans heavily on short, lively clues, current slang and pop culture, and it often shares its sensibility with the full Daily Crossword's Monday puzzles.

How to play the Mini

Click a square and type to fill the grid. Each clue is numbered and marked Across or Down; the answer runs from the numbered square in that direction. The timer starts when you open the puzzle, and completing the grid correctly stops it. There are no penalties for wrong letters, so experienced solvers fill fast and fix as they go.

When does the new Mini come out?

The Mini is published at 10:00 pm Eastern Time the night before (6:00 pm on weekends). We publish hints and answers as soon as the puzzle is available and keep every previous day in the archive above.

Mini strategy and tips

1. 1Fill the long answers firstIn a 5x5 grid the five-letter entries give you a letter in every crossing. Start there.
2. 2Read every clue once before typingA quick scan usually reveals two or three gimmes that unlock the rest.
3. 3Trust the crossingsIf an Across answer feels wrong, check the Down words through it rather than guessing again.
4. 4Learn the regular fillShort words like ERA, ORE, ALOE and OREO turn up constantly. Knowing them saves seconds.
5. 5Use the keyboard shortcutsTab moves to the next clue and the arrow keys change direction, which is faster than clicking.

Official Mini resources

GameAnswers.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with The New York Times. To play the game itself, use the official sources below.

If you like the Mini, try these

More daily puzzles with their own hint hubs, for when one isn’t enough.

MThe Midi hintsA mid-size themed crossword, 9x9 to 11x11.NNYT Crossword hintsThe full 15x15 daily crossword, 21x21 on Sundays.LLA Times Crossword hintsThe syndicated daily crossword from the Los Angeles Times.Wordle hintsGuess the five-letter word in six tries.