NYT Mini Crossword Hints And Answers For 12-January-2026

Weekdays + Saturdays: Available at 10 p.m. EST the night before.
Sundays: Drops earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday .

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.

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.

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.

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.