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
Spring Cleaning Box 1: I still love it!
The answer is KEEP
First name of poet Poe
The answer is EDGAR
Let ___ be ___
The answer is BYGONES
Spring Cleaning Box 2: Someone else will love it!
The answer is DONATE
"If you don't like it, that's your problem!"
The answer is SUEME
Spring Cleaning Box 3: It's worthless!
The answer is TOSS
Down
Panels of buttons on which passcodes are entered
The answer is KEYPADS
Just barely defeated
The answer is EDGEDOUT
A narcissist has a big one
The answer is EGO
High-scoring words in Spelling Bee
The answer is PANGRAMS
Channel changers
The answer is REMOTES
___ Bunny, musician known as the "King of Latin Trap"
The answer is BAD
Painful eye malady
The answer is STYE
Gorilla or chimpanzee
The answer is APE
Clock setting in the U.K.: Abbr.
The answer is GMT
Eugene Levy, to Dan Levy
The answer is DAD
___ G BIV (color mnemonic)
The answer is ROY
Prefix for a modern genre
The answer is NEO
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.