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
Blowout party
The answer is BASH
Airline with Sky Club lounges
The answer is DELTA
Body part that can be held with one hand, but not both
The answer is ELBOW
Get an "F" on
The answer is FLUNK
Subdued
The answer is TAME
Down
Ramsey of "The Last of Us"
The answer is BELLA
Collection of Facebook photos
The answer is ALBUM
Building material for the Washington Monument
The answer is STONE
"Red-tailed" or "red-shouldered" bird
The answer is HAWK
Masterful
The answer is DEFT
See Also
Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.