The New York Times Mini Crossword may be small, but it’s designed to catch you off guard.
Unlike its full-sized cousin, the Mini forces you to think quickly. It packs a sharp mental workout into a compact 5x5 grid, ideal for short breaks.
A tiny puzzle doesn't mean it’s always easy.
When you’re stuck on a clue, our daily hints and answers will help keep the momentum going.
Where to Play
You can play the Mini Crossword on the New York Times website, the NYT Games app, or within the Play tab of the main News app.
Past puzzles are available to Games and All Access subscribers.
When the Puzzle Drops
How It Works
Fill the grid by solving Across and Down clues. You’ll know you’ve solved it correctly when music plays and a congratulatory message appears.
There’s no streak feature like Wordle, but you can track your solve time and compete with friends on the Mini leaderboard.
Game Features and Shortcuts
Across
Parts of a museum dinosaur exhibit
Smiling Face with Sunglasses, for one
Painter's stand
Restaurant item often asked for by signing the air
Overly slapdash
Down
Tree with smooth gray bark
Nebraska city that's home to Union Pacific headquarters
Features of bloodhounds that are said to be 1,000 times stronger than humans
Boot from a game
___ smooth
See Also
Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.