NYT Mini Crossword Today

Mini Crossword Tips

• Scan all clues first before writing anything
• Fill in the easy ones – let crossing letters help with harder clues
• Don't overthink – Mini clues are usually straightforward
• Saturday = harder – 7x7 grid instead of 5x5

What Is the NYT Mini Crossword?

The NYT Mini Crossword is a quick daily crossword puzzle from The New York Times, designed to be solved in under a minute. Most days it features a 5x5 grid with roughly 5 Across clues and 5 Down clues. On Saturdays, the grid expands to 7x7 with more clues and a slightly higher difficulty level. The Mini was created by Joel Fagliano, who also serves as a puzzle editor for the full NYT Crossword.

Unlike the full NYT Crossword which requires a subscription, the daily Mini Crossword is free to play. It appeals to solvers who enjoy crosswords but want a quick daily challenge rather than a 30-minute commitment. The Mini Crossword publishes a new puzzle every day and tracks your solve time and streak. Our answers page updates daily so you can check your work or get help with a tricky clue.

How to Solve the Mini Crossword Faster

The Mini Crossword rewards speed, and many regular solvers aim to finish in under 30 seconds. Here are techniques used by fast solvers:

1. Start with fill-in-the-blank clues. Clues like "Take a ___" or "___ and cheese" almost always have one obvious answer. Fill these in first to get crossing letters.
2. Use crossing letters aggressively. In a 5x5 grid, every letter is part of both an Across and a Down answer. Even one confirmed letter from a crossing word can make a difficult clue obvious.
3. Skip and return. If a clue does not immediately click, move to the next one. In a 5x5 grid, you will typically get crossing letters from surrounding answers within seconds.
4. Read clues literally. Mini Crossword clues are straightforward — they rarely involve wordplay, puns, or misdirection. If a clue says "Capital of France," the answer is PARIS, not a trick.
5. Learn common short words. The Mini grid frequently uses 3-4 letter words like ERA, ORE, OAT, IRE, and ALE. Recognizing these instantly saves time.

Common Clue Patterns in the Mini Crossword

The Mini Crossword uses a consistent set of clue styles that repeat across puzzles. Recognizing these patterns helps you solve faster:

• Fill-in-the-blank: "___ of the art" → STATE. These are almost always the easiest clue in the puzzle.
• Simple definitions: "Opposite of night" → DAY. Straightforward synonyms or descriptions.
• Pop culture: "Beyoncé hit '___'" or "Star Wars villain ___ Vader." The Mini uses accessible references, not obscure trivia.
• Abbreviations: "Texting shorthand for laughing" → LOL. Clues that ask for abbreviations usually signal this with words like "briefly" or "for short."
• Plural and past tense: Watch the clue's grammar. A plural clue needs a plural answer. A past tense clue needs a past tense answer. This often tells you the last letter (S or D/ED).

For a more challenging crossword experience, try the full NYT Crossword or our Cryptic Crossword which uses wordplay-based clues.

Mini Crossword vs Full NYT Crossword

The Mini and the full NYT Crossword are both published daily by The New York Times, but they serve different audiences and difficulty levels:

• Grid size: Mini is 5x5 (7x7 on Saturday) vs 15x15 for the full crossword (21x21 on Sunday).
• Solve time: Mini averages under 1 minute vs 10-60 minutes for the full crossword depending on the day.
• Difficulty: Mini clues are straightforward with no themes or tricks. The full crossword increases in difficulty from Monday (easiest) to Saturday (hardest), with Thursday featuring special gimmicks like rebus squares.
• Cost: The Mini is free. The full crossword requires an NYT Games subscription.
• Themes: Mini puzzles have no theme. Full crosswords (especially Monday-Thursday and Sunday) feature theme answers that connect through a clever concept.