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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The answer is CDS because compact discs (CDs) were the dominant format for music during the 1990s and early 2000s. They were widely purchased for their convenience and sound quality before digital downloads and streaming became prevalent. The clue refers to this specific era of music consumption.
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The answer is CLOTH because cloth diapers are reusable, washable, and sustainable, reducing waste compared to disposable diapers. "Eco-conscious" in the clue hints at an environmentally friendly option, which aligns with using cloth over disposable materials that contribute to landfill waste.
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The clue "Styles of singing?" plays on a pun involving the name Harry Styles, a famous singer known for his solo career and time in the band One Direction. The word "singing" refers to his music, and "Styles" is a nod to his last name. Therefore, the answer is HARRY.
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The clue "Invite to one's loft, say?" ends with a question mark, signaling a play on words. Here, "loft" suggests an upstairs space, and "ask up" literally means to invite someone upwards, aligning with the idea of asking someone to come to your loft.
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The clue "What 'yellow' and 'mellow' do" refers to the fact that these two words share the same ending sound. This means they "rhyme." A rhyme occurs when words have similar sounds, especially at the end, which is the case for "yellow" and "mellow."
Down
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Yellow and purple are complementary colors on the color wheel, meaning they are opposites. When paired, they can create a jarring or contrasting visual effect, which is described as "clashing" by some. The phrase "some say" suggests this interpretation might be subjective or a matter of opinion.
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The clue "Like many an endearing goofball" describes someone silly or socially awkward in a charming, lovable way. "DORKY" perfectly fits this description, as it conveys an endearingly awkward or geeky quality often associated with goofballs. The word also has a lighthearted, affectionate tone matching the clue’s intent.
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The clue "Play, as a guitar" refers to the action of playing or sounding the strings of a guitar. STRUM is the correct answer because it describes the method of sweeping your fingers or a pick across the strings, a common way to "play" a guitar.
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The solution "CHAR" fits the clue "Burn slightly" because to char something means to scorch or partially burn its surface, leaving it blackened or singed. This is a straightforward definition-based clue, directly linking the act of burning something slightly to the word "CHAR."
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The clue "Overblown promotion" directly points to the word HYPE as the answer. "HYPE" refers to exaggerated or excessive promotion, perfectly matching "overblown promotion" as its synonym. In marketing or media contexts, hype often involves inflated or overly enthusiastic publicity.
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 Monday Mini comes from Tracy Bennett, editor of Wordle, and it plays tougher than you might expect for the start of the week. Tracy often brings a little extra bite to her Minis, and this one follows that pattern. The grid mixes in music-related clues alongside everyday actions and descriptive twists, so solvers need to shift gears quickly. Compared with the breezier puzzles of the past few days, this one asks for sharper attention, especially in spotting wordplay and cultural references.
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.