NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, October 5, 2026

Monday, October 5, 2026 · Today's NYT Mini Crossword answers

OCT5

NYT Mini Crossword

Monday, October 5, 2026

5×5By Joel Fagliano

10 clues. Tap Reveal on any clue for just that answer, or open the full solution at the bottom.

Across

  1. 1Baby bear (3)
    RevealCUB
  2. 4Goes down in defeat (5)
    RevealLOSES
  3. 6___-3 fatty acids, nutritious compounds found in salmon (5)
    RevealOMEGA
  4. 7Tech service with folders like "Sent," "Starred" and "Snoozed" (5)
    RevealGMAIL
  5. 8Total angel (5)
    RevealSAINT

Down

  1. 1Semicolon without the dot (5)
    RevealCOMMA
  2. 2Ask a question to Claude, e.g. (5)
    RevealUSEAI
  3. 3Start (5)
    RevealBEGIN
  4. 4Fuel for a campfire (4)
    RevealLOGS
  5. 5Predominant taste of anchovies (4)
    RevealSALT
Crossword regulars in this grid (spoilers)

Answers in this NYT Mini Crossword that had shown up before, counted over the 326 puzzles since November 2025:

SALT ×2

Show all 10 answers and the solved grid

Across: 1A CUB4A LOSES6A OMEGA7A GMAIL8A SAINT

Down: 1D COMMA2D USEAI3D BEGIN4D LOGS5D SALT

About This NYT Mini Crossword

The NYT Mini for Monday, October 5, 2026 was a 5×5 grid by Joel Fagliano, with 10 clues; the longest answer ran 5 letters. That is about average for a Monday.

Also on Oct 5: the NYT Midi Crossword and the NYT Crossword.

Earlier October 2026 NYT Mini Crossword Answers

Oct 1Oct 2Oct 3Oct 4Oct 5

Every earlier puzzle is in the NYT Mini Crossword archive. For the newest one, see today's NYT Mini Crossword answers, which switch to the next puzzle as soon as it's released.

Unofficial fan guide — not affiliated with or endorsed by The New York Times. Clues are quoted for reference.