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
- Weekdays + Saturdays: Available at 10 p.m. EST the night before.
- Sundays: Drops earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
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
- Timer: See how quickly you can complete the puzzle.
- Reveal and Check tools: If you’re stuck, reveal a letter, word, or check your answers.
- Keyboard shortcuts: Use arrow keys, spacebar, tab, and more (on desktop).
- Pen and Pencil Mode: Toggle between confident solves and tentative guesses.
Across
Sword go-with
The answer is SHIELD
Hamburger or Frankfurter, for example
The answer is GERMAN
Sticky stuff on bark
The answer is TREESAP
Hotel room pricing
The answer is RATE
Classic arcade game of hopping between obstacles
The answer is FROGGER
The "W" of the W.N.B.A.
The answer is WOMENS
Looked after a pup
The answer is DOGSAT
Down
Drill instructor's rank: Abbr.
The answer is SGT
"___ Loss" (#1 album for Drake and 21 Savage)
The answer is HER
Fury
The answer is IRE
Appears on the scene
The answer is EMERGES
Dish layered like this: sheet of noodles, sauce, cheese, repeat
The answer is LASAGNA
Genetic screening procedure
The answer is DNATEST
"As ___ my last email ..."
The answer is PER
Subject line abbreviation
The answer is FWD
Aussie marsupial, for short
The answer is ROO
"No wayyyy!"
The answer is OMG
See Also
Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.
- Tomorrow's NYT Mini Crossword: Clues and answers
- Yesterday's NYT Mini Crossword: Clues and answers
- Today's NYT Strands: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Connections: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Wordle: Hints and answers
- Today's NYT Spelling Bee: Hints and answers
- Try another mind-bending puzzle on our Quizzes page