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
Tapioca pearls
The answer is BOBA
Disappear into thin air
The answer is VANISH
"C'mon, we expect more from you"
The answer is DOBETTER
Nightlife for which Miami is famous
The answer is CLUBBING
Cause of early aging
The answer is STRESS
The sun in "sunnyside up"
The answer is YOLK
Down
New parent's reason for canceling plans
The answer is BABYDUTY
4/4
The answer is ONE
Fraction of a byte
The answer is BIT
Symbol next to a tainted record
The answer is ASTERISK
Singer's contribution to a song
The answer is VOCALS
Long-necked birds
The answer is HERONS
___ golf
The answer is DISC
Sounded, as a doorbell
The answer is RANG
Dangerous, as a winter sidewalk
The answer is ICY
Social media ___ (what we're in now)
The answer is ERA
Feeling down
The answer is SAD
Director Howard
The answer is RON
"Dude!"
The answer is BRO
___ Air (neighborhood in L.A.)
The answer is BEL
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.
- 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