NY Times Crossword
NY Times Wordle
NY Times Connections
NY Times Connections Sports Edition
NY Times Strands
NY Times Spelling Bee
NY Times Pips
Word Salad
Contexto
Blossom
Betweenle
Conexo
Bracket City
Fluxis
Stacks
Atlantic Crossword
LA Times Mini
LA Times Crossword
Anagram Solver
Scrabble Word Finder
Words With Friends Word Finder
Atlantic Games
LA Times
Zorzzle
Word of Fortune
Browser Extension
NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
-
The clue "On this spot" directly points to the location where one is currently positioned or referring to. "HERE" is the logical answer because it signifies the exact spot or place being referenced in the present context. It's a straightforward, location-based solution.
-
The clue "=" directly refers to the mathematical or symbolic representation of equality. The equal sign (=) indicates that two things are the same or equivalent, which leads to the answer "EQUAL." It’s a straightforward interpretation of the symbol’s meaning.
-
The clue uses a pun. "Fungi" are actual organisms (like mushrooms) but sounds like "fun guy," someone you'd enjoy hanging out with. The playful pronunciation similarity ties the literal and figurative meanings together, making "FUNGI" the correct answer.
-
The North Base Camp for Mount Everest is located in Tibet, an autonomous region of China. Mount Everest straddles the border between Nepal and Tibet, with the North Base Camp on the Tibetan (northern) side, making TIBET the correct answer based on its geography.
-
A "pyre" is a structure made of combustible materials, such as wood, used for burning a body as part of a funeral rite, common in certain cultural ceremonies. The clue "Combustible funeral structure" directly describes this usage, making PYRE the correct answer.
Down
-
The answer "HEFT" refers to significant weight or heaviness, both literally and metaphorically (e.g., an object’s heft or the seriousness of a matter). The clue "Serious weight" captures this dual meaning, as "heft" conveys both substantial physical mass and importance, aligning perfectly with the definition.
-
The verb "equip" means to supply someone or something with the necessary items for a particular purpose. Here, "furnish" is a synonym for "provide," aligning perfectly with "equip," which serves as a straightforward solution to "furnish with supplies."
-
The phrase "run by" means to present an idea or proposal to someone to get their opinion or feedback quickly. The clue plays on this common expression, making "RUNBY" the fitting solution.
-
The phrase "like the proverbial beaver" refers to the expression "busy as a beaver," highlighting beavers' industrious and enthusiastic nature. "EAGER" fits as it describes someone full of enthusiasm, energy, or keenness—qualities metaphorically attributed to the busy, hardworking beaver.
-
The answer is LITE because Miller Lite is a popular beer brand. The clue references "Miller" as the brand name, and "Lite" is its trademarked spelling for their light beer, which is lower in calories. The fill completes the brand name logically.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Hard
Rate Your Difficulty
Rate This Solver
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 Wednesday Mini by Tracy Bennett, editor of Wordle, packs variety into a small grid. There’s a touch of world geography, some science vocabulary, and a nod to beer culture. Wordplay pops up in clever ways too, giving the puzzle a playful edge. A nice midweek mix that keeps solvers on their toes.
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.