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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The answer is CRASH because it is often used informally to describe quickly falling asleep, especially from exhaustion after a long or tiring day. This metaphor likens collapsing into sleep to a sudden, uncontrolled "crash." It's a fitting, idiomatic match to the clue.
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The pound is a unit of weight, and it is divided into smaller units called ounces. Specifically, 1 pound equals 16 ounces. Therefore, 1/16 of a pound equals 1 ounce. This makes "OUNCE" the correct answer for this clue.
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The answer is INDIA because all three—chess, shampoo, and the concept of the number zero—originate there. Chess evolved from the Indian game Chaturanga, "shampoo" comes from the Hindi word "chāmpo" (to massage), and zero was first conceptualized by Indian mathematician Aryabhata.
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The word "FUROR" is synonymous with "uproar," both referring to intense excitement, outrage, or commotion. This alignment in meaning makes FUROR a perfect solution for the clue, as it directly captures the idea of a noisy or passionate disturbance.
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The clue "Opposite of saved" refers to something no longer kept or preserved. In financial or resource terms, the opposite of saving is using up or expending. "Spent" fits perfectly, as it indicates money, energy, or resources that have already been used or consumed.
Down
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COIFS is the answer because "coif" refers to a hairstyle or hair arrangement, often elaborate or styled with care. The clue "Fancy hairdos" points to this term, as it specifically implies decorative or styled hair arrangements, matching the plural "COIFS."
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The term "RUNUP" refers to the time leading up to or preceding a significant event. It aligns with the clue “Period preceding a big event” because it describes a build-up phase, such as preparations or anticipation, often used in contexts like elections, launches, or major occasions.
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The clue "Tennis great Agassi" refers to the legendary tennis player Andre Agassi. Known for his remarkable career, Agassi won eight Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic gold medal. The answer "ANDRE" is his first name, matching the clue's reference to this iconic athlete.
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The answer "SCION" perfectly fits the clue "Descendant of a wealthy family" as it refers to an heir or descendant, especially of a prominent or influential family. In its figurative sense, "scion" is used to describe someone born into privilege or affluence, aligning with the clue's description.
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The symbol for "like" on Instagram is a HEART because when users "like" a post, a heart icon fills in or appears on the post. The heart has become widely recognized as a visual representation of liking or showing appreciation on social media platforms.
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
Tuesday’s Mini by Joel Fagliano leans on vocabulary range and trivia more than trickery. There’s businesslike formality in one clue, linguistic and mathematical history in another, and a touch of style from the salon. The grid mixes everyday idioms with higher-register words that stretch beyond Monday ease, offering small “aha” moments without real stumbles. A solid midweek step-up: still smooth to solve, but varied enough, with touches of language, culture, measurement, and sports, to keep even a quick solve engaging.
Today's Tricky Wordplay
Here's what caught our attention today:
- Where chess, shampoo and the number zero were invented
- Fancy hairdos
- Period preceding a big event
- Descendant of a wealthy family
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.