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
Enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal
The answer is FEASTED
Back half of a GOAT?
The answer is ALLTIME
Sudden urge
The answer is IMPULSE
Santa's landing place
The answer is ROOF
Abstain from eating
The answer is FAST
Tough guy
The answer is BRUISER
Ready to use without further assembly
The answer is TURNKEY
Some pieces of [circled letters] at the Thanksgiving table
The answer is WINGS
Down
Inside the foul line, in baseball
The answer is FAIR
Furry monster with a falsetto
The answer is ELMO
Pet food brand
The answer is ALPO
Thanksgiving side dish that can fill the [circled letters]
The answer is STUFFING
Shop ___ you drop
The answer is TIL
M M M M
The answer is EMS
Billy ___ Williams, actor who played Lando Calrissian in "Star Wars"
The answer is DEE
Requests
The answer is ASKS
"Get what I'm saying?"
The answer is SEE
Give it a go
The answer is TRY
"I should mention ...," for short
The answer is BTW
N.B.A. power forward ___ Hachimura
The answer is RUI
Large coffee dispenser
The answer is URN
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