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NYT’s The Mini Crossword Answers and Hints
Across
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The clue "Villain's counterpart" points to an opposing character to a villain. A HERO is the traditional positive, brave figure who confronts and challenges the villain in stories, making "HERO" the fitting counterpart. The relationship is direct and classic in storytelling archetypes.
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The answer is GAVIN because Gavin Newsom is the current governor of California, serving since January 2019. Clues like this often ask for well-known figures related to the role specified—in this case, the California governor—making GAVIN the correct solution.
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ITALY is the solution because Prada, a renowned luxury fashion brand, was founded in Milan, Italy. Additionally, Italy is famous for its iconic pasta dishes, making it the perfect answer to a clue combining fashion and cuisine. Both Prada and pasta are deeply tied to Italian culture.
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The answer is FEDEX because it is a well-known shipping company recognized for its distinctive purple-and-orange logo, prominently featured on its delivery trucks and branding. The clue directly points to this visual identifier, making FEDEX the clear solution.
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In basketball lingo, a "trey" is a slang term for a three-point shot. The term comes from "tre," meaning three, and is commonly used in casual and professional commentary to refer to scoring from beyond the three-point line. It aligns perfectly with the clue's context.
Down
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The solution "HATER" fits because a hater is someone who tends to criticize or find fault in almost everything, making them inherently hard to please. The term is often used to describe overly negative individuals who express dislike frequently, aligning perfectly with the clue's description.
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The clue "Get around" suggests avoiding or circumventing something. The word "EVADE" means to escape or dodge, often by cleverness or effort. It matches the idea of "getting around" an obstacle or challenge, making it the correct solution.
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The answer is RILEY because she is the main character in Disney-Pixar's animated movie Inside Out. The film revolves around the emotions inside Riley's mind as she navigates life changes, making her the "Inside Out" girl directly referenced in the clue.
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ONYX is a type of gemstone known for its deep black color, aligning perfectly with the clue "Deep black gemstone." It’s a semi-precious stone often used in jewelry, making it a straightforward and accurate answer.
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The clue uses wordplay on the double meaning of "present." "Present" can mean "now" (time) but also refers to a "gift." The cliché expresses gratitude for living in the moment by likening "today" to a gift, or "present," explaining the pun and why GIFT fits.
Today’s Game Difficulty
Easy
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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
Joel Fagliano’s Tuesday Mini leans pop and playful, mixing pop culture, geography, and sports. There’s a nod to Pixar, a touch of fashion and pasta, and a clever cliché to wrap things up. The grid balances modern slang with classic fill, basketball jargon meets gemstone elegance. A few clues hinge on lateral thinking (“get around” especially), but overall it’s a crisp, smooth solve. A satisfying blend of everyday language and specific knowledge that keeps early-week solvers engaged.
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.