The answer is ALDER because Fender guitars commonly use alder wood for their bodies due to its lightweight, resonant, and balanced tonal properties. This tree's wood is ideal for producing clear and versatile sound, making it a popular choice in guitar manufacturing.
Across
The solution "CRISP" refers to a type of fruity dessert, like apple or berry crisp, characterized by a crunchy topping made from flour, sugar, butter, and sometimes oats or nuts. The word "crisp" describes both the dessert's texture and the crunchy sound it makes, matching the clue perfectly.
6Beehive productHONEY?????✨ See Why
The clue "Beehive product" refers to something produced by bees in their hive. Bees collect nectar, process it, and create honey as a natural byproduct. Thus, "HONEY" is the perfect answer, as it directly connects to the primary product associated with beehives.
7Tree whose wood is used to make Fender guitarsALDER?????✨ See Why
The answer is ALDER because Fender guitars commonly use alder wood for their bodies due to its lightweight, resonant, and balanced tonal properties. This tree's wood is ideal for producing clear and versatile sound, making it a popular choice in guitar manufacturing.
8Log ___ (water park ride)FLUME?????✨ See Why
The answer is FLUME because a "log flume" is a classic water park ride where participants sit in log-shaped vehicles that travel through a water-filled chute or channel. The word "flume" specifically refers to such a narrow channel of water, making it the perfect fit for the clue.
9English county whose name sounds like the 19th and 24th letters of the alphabetESSEX?????✨ See Why
The 19th letter of the alphabet is "S," and the 24th is "X." When spoken together, "S" and "X" sound like "Essex," which is the name of the English county. This clue uses a wordplay pun based on phonetics to lead to the answer.
Down
1Rub the wrong way, perhapsCHAFE?????✨ See Why
The phrase "rub the wrong way" is wordplay, suggesting irritation or friction. To "chafe" means to cause irritation through rubbing or friction, both physically (e.g., skin irritation) and metaphorically (e.g., annoyance). The pun-like aspect of the clue ties perfectly to CHAFE as the answer.
2Starts a turn in MonopolyROLLS?????✨ See Why
In Monopoly, each player's turn begins by rolling the dice to determine how many spaces to move. The clue “Starts a turn in Monopoly” directly refers to this action, making “ROLLS” (as in rolling the dice) the correct and logical answer.
3Longest river in South Asia (~2,000 miles)INDUS?????✨ See Why
The Indus River, spanning roughly 2,000 miles, is the longest river in South Asia. Flowing through China, India, and Pakistan, it plays a vital historical and geographical role in the region, making it the correct answer to the clue about South Asia's longest river.
4Ominous note on a failed examSEEME?????✨ See Why
The clue "Ominous note on a failed exam" hints at a common teacher's remark signaling concern or the need for discussion. "SEE ME" is often written on exams to indicate the student should meet with the teacher, often due to poor performance, making it an "ominous note."
5Oven-safe glassware materialPYREX?????✨ See Why
PYREX is a brand name for durable glassware known for its ability to withstand high temperatures, making it oven-safe. It's specifically designed for baking, cooking, and heating, which perfectly matches the clue. The term has become synonymous with oven-safe glass cookware.
Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Tree whose wood is used to make Fender guitars clue? Don’t worry—Lady Puzzle Pro has you covered! Whether you want the answer right away, revealed letter by letter, or this wordplay seems too puzzling, keep reading for the explanation.
Tree whose wood is used to make Fender guitars Answer Explained
The answer is ALDER.
“Tree whose wood is used to make Fender guitars” is pointing you toward a specific type of wood associated with musical instruments, especially electric guitars. Fender is a well-known guitar brand, and certain woods are commonly used in their construction for tonal qualities and weight. ALDER is one of those classic choices since it’s lightweight, has a balanced sound, and has been used in many iconic Fender models like the Stratocaster. So the clue is really about connecting the idea of a tree with a practical use of its wood in guitar-making. Once you think of common guitar woods, ALDER fits perfectly.
Now that you've cracked the 7A Tree whose wood is used to make Fender guitars clue, you're one step closer to completing today’s Mini Puzzle! If you're still stuck on other clues, don't worry—we've got you covered. Explore more NYT Mini crossword answers right here, or check out our tools for solving the NYT Crossword, Connections, or Strands.
Today’s NYT Mini Highlights
Just wrapped up today’s Mini by Sam Ezersky and yeah, that was a tough one, especially for a grid with no black squares. HONEY went in instantly (felt like a little nod to Spelling Bee), and ROLLS helped get a foothold with some useful crossings, but after that, it really slowed down. ESSEX was probably my favorite. Once I said it out loud, the letter trick clicked, but it took me a moment to hear it. SEEME also stood out; that slightly ominous “note on a failed exam” clue was clever and not totally obvious at first. Overall, really tight and tricky. Definitely one that made me work more than usual.
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.
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.
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 check become blue.
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