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
Ethically sourced, as some eggs
The answer is CAGEFREE
Residents of Tehran
The answer is IRANIANS
Air sign?
The answer is SKYWRITE
___ Faire (medieval-themed festival, informally)
The answer is REN
Athlete from Cleveland or the University of Virginia
The answer is CAVALIER
Kind of bathing suit
The answer is ONEPIECE
Musical whizzes
The answer is MAESTROS
Down
Certain gender identity
The answer is CIS
Holy object sought in the first "Indiana Jones" movie
The answer is ARK
___ pride
The answer is GAY
Completely surrounds
The answer is ENWRAPS
Like a cozy campsite on a cool autumn night, say
The answer is FIRELIT
Washington's Mount ___, the highest peak in the Cascades
The answer is RAINIER
Sinus-treating doctor, for short
The answer is ENT
Opposite of WNW
The answer is ESE
_ _ _mon URL ending
The answer is COM
De Armas who starred in 2025's "Ballerina"
The answer is ANA
Shape of flying geese
The answer is VEE
Prefix with friendly
The answer is ECO
Restaurant booking, informally
The answer is RES
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