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Crossword Difficulty: 6/10 Live data

NYT Mini Crossword Solver & Clues & Answers Today — May 15, 2026

NYT Mini Crossword Puzzle #24040 Solution • Last updated Friday, May 15, 2026 Resets in --:--:--
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Today's NYT Mini Crossword Hints

Clues & Answers for Today's NYT Mini

Click a square to reveal its letter. Get hints below.

Across

1. Baseball stat hidden in "super big hit"
4. Hi, in Hawaii
7. With 8-Across, start running or going to the gym
8. See 7-Across
9. Opposite of NNE

Down

1. Opposite of riches, in a saying
2. "Ew, gross"
3. Tiny bits
5. Where the hands are placed when "Hey, Macarena!" is sung
6. All over again
5×5 grid · 5A / 5D · 10 words · Difficulty 6/10 ·#24040

About Today's NYT Mini Crossword

Solve a quick 5×5 crossword puzzle daily. Visit nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini to play today's puzzle.

Today's puzzle is rated 6/10 difficulty — on the harder side. Use our hints if you get stuck.

How to Play NYT Mini Crossword

The NYT Mini Crossword is a quick 5×5 grid puzzle published daily by The New York Times. Your goal is to fill every square by solving the Across and Down clues.

Tap or click a square to start typing your answer. The active direction switches between Across and Down when you tap the same square again.

Unlike the full NYT Crossword, the Mini has no theme. It is designed to be solvable in under a minute. Clues range from straightforward definitions to playful wordplay.

A new Mini Crossword is released at 10:00 PM ET every day. You can also play the archive of past Mini puzzles on the NYT Games app.

Play at nytimes.com/crosswords/game/mini. A new puzzle is available every day.

Tips & Strategy

  • Start with the clues you are most confident about. Filling in a few answers first gives you crossing letters that make harder clues much easier.
  • Pay attention to clue phrasing. A question mark at the end of a clue usually signals wordplay or a pun rather than a literal definition.
  • Short words (3-4 letters) in crosswords repeat often. Learn common fill like ERA, ORE, ATE, and IRE. They appear in most Minis.
  • If you are stuck on a clue, read the crossing clues instead. Sometimes solving the perpendicular word reveals enough letters to crack the difficult clue.

NYT Mini Crossword Answer Patterns & Statistics

Computed from 703 archived puzzles · updated

How many NYT Mini Crossword puzzles does HintPulse track?
Our NYT Mini Crossword archive holds 703 daily puzzles, refreshed every day after the new puzzle drops.

About NYT Mini Crossword — History & Fun Facts

The NYT Mini Crossword is a daily digital puzzle from The New York Times. It offers a compact 5x5 grid. This smaller format makes it accessible for quick play. The puzzle resets daily at 10 PM ET.

The Mini Crossword quickly gained a dedicated following. Many players enjoy it as part of their morning routine or a brief mental break. It is now a staple of the NYT Games section, available on their website and mobile app.

Fun Facts About NYT Mini Crossword

  • The NYT Mini Crossword resets every day at 10 PM Eastern Time.
  • It is a 5x5 grid, significantly smaller than the newspaper's traditional daily crossword.
  • The puzzle is designed for rapid completion, often taking just a few minutes.

NYT Mini vs Midi vs Daily Crossword

Feature Mini Midi Daily
Grid Size5×59×915×15
Clues~10~30~70+
Solve Time1–3 min3–10 min15–45 min
DifficultyEasyMediumHard (Mon→Sat)
ThemedNoYesYes (always)
SubscriptionFreeNYT GamesNYT Games
Reset Time10 PM ET10 PM ET10 PM ET

Frequently Asked Questions

What are today's NYT Mini Crossword answers?
Today's NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers are revealed in our hints section above. We show both Across and Down answers with progressive hints.
How many clues does the NYT Mini Crossword have?
The Mini typically has 5 Across and 5 Down clues on a 5×5 grid, though the exact number can vary slightly. Each puzzle has around 10 total words.
When does the NYT Mini Crossword reset?
The NYT Mini Crossword resets daily at 10:00 PM Eastern Time (ET). The new puzzle is released the evening before its print date.
Is the NYT Mini Crossword free?
Yes, the NYT Mini Crossword is free to play daily on the New York Times Games website and app. The full NYT Crossword requires a subscription, but the Mini does not.
How is the Mini different from the full NYT Crossword?
The Mini is a 5×5 grid (vs 15×15 for the full crossword), has no theme, and is designed to be solved in under a minute. The full crossword is themed, gets progressively harder Monday through Saturday, and can take 15–60 minutes.

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