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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The answer is CRAB because SpongeBob's boss in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants is Mr. Krabs, a crab who owns the Krusty Krab restaurant. The clue's phrasing, "for one," also indicates an example of a crab, linking directly to Mr. Krabs.
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The answer "AUDIT" fits because an I.R.S. agent's investigation typically involves examining financial records to ensure compliance with tax laws. An "audit" is the official term for this thorough review, making it the perfect match for the clue's context.
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The answer is SMOKE because smoking on U.S. domestic flights was officially banned by law in 2000 due to health concerns and safety regulations. The clue references this prohibition, making "smoke" the fitting solution to what passengers haven't been allowed to do since that time.
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The answer is KOREA because the Korean Peninsula is geographically located east of the Yellow Sea. It is bordered by the Yellow Sea to the west and the Sea of Japan to the east, making it a prominent landmass in East Asia.
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The phrase "R&R" commonly stands for "rest and relaxation." The clue specifies "One 'R,'" asking for a single component of the phrase. The answer is "REST," which is one part of the "R&R" abbreviation. The clue is straightforward, with no additional wordplay.
Down
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The answer "CASK" fits because it is a barrel-shaped container specifically designed for storing liquids like wine. The word directly refers to the traditional wooden barrels commonly used in winemaking for fermentation, aging, and storage, aligning perfectly with the clue's description.
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The phrase "through the grapevine" commonly refers to informal, unofficial communication or gossip. A "rumor" is exactly that—an unverified piece of information passed from person to person. Therefore, "Something heard through the grapevine" fits perfectly as "RUMOR."
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The clue "Profoundly love" asks for a synonym that conveys deep affection or admiration. ADORE perfectly fits, as it means to love deeply or have great admiration for someone or something. It aligns directly with the intensity implied by "profoundly." The word choice matches the emotional depth described.
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The answer is BIKES because a "peloton" refers to a group of cyclists riding closely together in a race or event. The vehicles they use are bicycles (BIKES), making this the clear and logical solution.
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The clue "What a calf drinks from" refers to how calves, as baby animals, drink milk directly from their mother's body. The word "teat" specifically describes the part of a mother animal, like a cow, that dispenses milk for the calf to drink. Thus, the answer is TEAT.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Hard
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Hit a roadblock solving today's NYT The Mini? Lady Puzzle is happy to lend a hand. Click her for hints, reveal the entire puzzle, uncover squares one by one, or explore clue answers. Whatever solving style you prefer, this is your go-to tool for finishing NYT's The Mini Crossword!
Today’s NYT Mini Highlights
Today’s Thursday Mini by Ian Livengood, who also edits Pips, the NYT’s new logic game, feels like a tougher one. You’ll find touches of food, geography, and finance, plus a couple of lively conversational entries. Minis seem to be getting harder since they moved behind the paywall yesterday, and this puzzle is a good example of that shift.
Today's Tricky Wordplay
Here's what caught our attention today:
What is NYT The Mini Crossword?
NYT The Mini Crossword is a compact version of the New York Times Crossword puzzle. Usually 5 x 5, with larger grids on Saturdays, it offers mid-week equivalent difficulty clues with no progression over the week. It is accessible to anyone with or without a New York Times account. You can play it on nytimes.com/crosswords, The New York Times Games app (iOS and Android), and the Play tab of the New York Times News app. Games and All Access Subscribers can solve past Mini Crossword puzzles in the archive.
For years, the Mini was free to play daily without a subscription. However, starting August 27, 2025, it became subscriber-only. This change has frustrated many fans, especially as the Mini had grown more ambitious, incorporating themes, wordplay tricks, linked clues, and even echoing entries from the Daily Crossword. In hindsight, these evolutions may have been the Times’ way of positioning the Mini closer to its flagship puzzle.
Here on our page, access is still free, and we also feature the most complete Mini archive and solving resources available anywhere.
We also offer a fresh daily game, Word of Fortune, inspired by Mini-style clues and blending features from other favorites: players must guess a single word from a clue, with the option to spin a wheel for letter hints.
Daily Availability
Puzzles are accessible the evening before the publish date. Weekday and Saturday puzzles: 10 p.m. EST the previous day. Sunday puzzles: 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Today's NYT Puzzle Guides by LadyPuzzle Pro
- Today's Wordle
- Connections Hint Today
- NYT Pips Today - Hints & Solutions
- NYT Crossword Answers Today
- Strands Answers Today
- Spelling Bee Hints
- Connections Sports Edition (The Athletic)
How to Play - Features and Tips
Fill white squares with letters to form intersecting words or phrases by solving clues in Across and Down columns. Read our guide to NYT Mini Mastery to learn how to read the different types of clues. Successfully completed puzzle triggers music and a congratulatory message.
Keyboard Shortcuts
- Arrow keys: Change direction within the same square, move in the direction of the arrow, jump back to the first blank in the word, or jump to the next clue.
- Spacebar: Clear the current square, advance, or toggle between Across and Down.
- Backspace (Delete on Macs): Remove words or a letter from a word.
- Tab key: Jump to the next clue.
- Shift + Tab keys: Jump to the previous clue.
- Escape: Enter Rebus mode.
- Pen and Pencil Modes. Switch between pen and pencil modes by selecting the respective icon. Letters in pen mode are black; in pencil mode, gray.
Letter Colors
Black: Default pen mode entries.
Gray: Pencil mode entries.
Blue: Confirmed letters with Check.
Mini Timer
Time your solving with the timer displayed above the puzzle. Pause/resume using the respective buttons. The timer restarts if the entire puzzle is cleared. Option to hide the timer in Puzzle settings.
In-game Help
- Reveal: Unveil correct letters for a square, answer, or the entire puzzle.
- Check: Verify correctness.
The answers you get using help are marked with a red triangle in the upper right-hand corner of the box while those confirmed with a check become blue.
Leaderboards
It’s an additional social resource provided by NYT. You can add friends (up to 100 invitees) to track daily completion and compete.