The answer is MOOSE because the moose is the tallest land animal native to North America, reaching up to 7 feet tall at the shoulder. Its towering antlers add even more height. Known for its size, the moose embodies the clue's description perfectly.
Across
"UMPS" is short for umpires, who are officials in baseball responsible for enforcing rules, making judgment calls, and ensuring fair play during the game. The clue directly refers to these officials, making "UMPS" the fitting solution. It's a common, informal term used in the sport.
5Singer/songwriter Kahan with the 2026 #1 album "The Great Divide"NOAH????✨ See Why
Noah Kahan is an American singer-songwriter who achieved his first Billboard 200 number-one album in early 2026 with The Great Divide, cementing his massive global success in the indie-folk and roots-rock music scene.
6Shade of orangeish pinkCORAL?????✨ See Why
CORAL is the solution because it refers to a natural shade that blends orange and pink tones, often seen in coral reefs or the gemstone coral. The clue directly describes this specific hue, making CORAL the accurate and logical match.
8Voice of the smartphone generation?SIRI????✨ See Why
The clue "Voice of the smartphone generation?" involves wordplay and a pun. "Voice" refers to a digital voice assistant, and "smartphone generation" hints at a ubiquitous feature on phones. SIRI, Apple's virtual assistant, is both a literal "voice" and a major part of smartphones, fitting the clue perfectly.
9Partner channel of ABCESPN????✨ See Why
ESPN is the answer because it is a well-known sports network that is under the same corporate umbrella as ABC. Both channels are owned by The Walt Disney Company, making ESPN a "partner channel" of ABC in terms of ownership and affiliation.
Down
1Someone giving off old guy vibes, in Gen Z slangUNC???✨ See Why
The answer "UNC" is short for "uncle," a term Gen Z uses to describe someone giving off "old guy vibes." It playfully refers to an older, out-of-touch yet endearing figure, much like a stereotypical uncle. The clue's playful tone suggests this slang-based interpretation.
2Tallest animal in North AmericaMOOSE?????✨ See Why
The answer is MOOSE because the moose is the tallest land animal native to North America, reaching up to 7 feet tall at the shoulder. Its towering antlers add even more height. Known for its size, the moose embodies the clue's description perfectly.
3Setting for "Ratatouille"PARIS?????✨ See Why
The answer is PARIS because "Ratatouille" is a film set in this city. The story follows Remy, a rat aspiring to be a chef, navigating his culinary journey in the gastronomic capital of France, Paris. The film’s iconic setting prominently features its culture and landmarks.
4#, in musicSHARP?????✨ See Why
In music, the symbol "#" represents a sharp, which raises the pitch of a note by a half step. This clue uses the symbol as shorthand, commonly understood in musical notation, leading to the answer "SHARP."
7___-Manuel MirandaLIN???✨ See Why
The answer "LIN" refers to Lin-Manuel Miranda, a renowned playwright, composer, lyricist, and actor best known for creating the Broadway hits Hamilton and In the Heights. The blank in "___-Manuel Miranda" indicates the missing part of his well-known name.
Solving today’s NYT Mini Puzzle and stuck on the 5-letter answer to the Tallest animal in North America 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.
Tallest animal in North America Answer Explained
The answer is MOOSE.
The clue asks for the tallest animal in North America, and the answer is "MOOSE." The moose is indeed the tallest wild animal in North America, capable of standing over 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Its long legs and massive stature make it an unmistakable figure in its natural habitat. The clue is straightforward and trivia-based with no wordplay involved, directly leading to the answer.
Now that you've cracked the 2D Tallest animal in North America 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
This one felt almost over before it started. I flew through today’s Tuesday Mini, definitely on the easier side. The only spot that made me pause was “UNC” for someone giving off old guy vibes in Gen Z slang; that one didn’t come instantly, but it clicked after a second. “MOOSE” as the tallest animal in the U.S. also threw me off briefly because I was overthinking it, expecting something trickier. Everything else filled in so quickly that it barely registered. One of those puzzles where you finish and think, “Wait, that’s it?” Not much resistance today, but still a nice, quick solve.
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.
Leaderboards
It’s an additional social resource provided by NYT. You can add friends (up to 100 invitees) to track daily completion and compete.