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
Spring Cleaning Box 1: I still love it!
First name of poet Poe
Let ___ be ___
Spring Cleaning Box 2: Someone else will love it!
"If you don't like it, that's your problem!"
Spring Cleaning Box 3: It's worthless!
Down
Panels of buttons on which passcodes are entered
Just barely defeated
A narcissist has a big one
High-scoring words in Spelling Bee
Channel changers
___ Bunny, musician known as the "King of Latin Trap"
Painful eye malady
Gorilla or chimpanzee
Clock setting in the U.K.: Abbr.
Eugene Levy, to Dan Levy
___ G BIV (color mnemonic)
Prefix for a modern genre
Looking for quick crosswords to sharpen your mind? Check out our NYT Mini Crossword hub for daily grids, hints, and answers.
See Also
Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.