Today's NYT Mini Crossword September 16, 2025 - Complete Solutions with Smart Hints | 5-Minute Solve
Quick Summary: Today's NYT Mini Crossword has 20 clues total. We have all the answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!
Popular Puzzles: 27453 Thu Jan 09 2025 Ny Times | August 25 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | Monday September 23 2024 Ny Times |
About Today's Puzzle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | September 16, 2025 |
| Grid Size | 5 x 5 squares |
| Total Clues | 20 clues |
| Across Clues | 10 clues |
| Down Clues | 10 clues |
| Average Solve Time | Under 1 minute |
Today's NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout
This puzzle uses a 5 by 5 grid. That means 5 boxes across and 5 boxes down.
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 | Column 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Row 1 | |||||
| Row 2 | |||||
| Row 3 | |||||
| Row 4 | |||||
| Row 5 |
How to Solve This Puzzle Fast
- Read all the clues first - your brain will start working on them
- Fill in the short words first (3 letters or less)
- Use the crossing letters to help with harder words
- If a clue has a question mark (?), it's probably a joke or play on words
- Common short words: THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT
Quick Facts About This Puzzle
- Total squares in grid: 25 (5 times 5)
- Average time to solve: Less than 1 minute
- Best time to play: During a coffee break
- Difficulty level: Made for everyone to enjoy
Across Clues - 10 Total
These clues go from left to right in the puzzle.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Across | 17. *High-status American Express offering |
| 2 Across | 63. Train conductor's cry … or a hint to each word in the answers to the starred clues |
| 3 Across | 14. Pub pintful |
| 4 Across | 61. Shade akin to cream |
| 5 Across | 38. Miss Havisham's ward in "Great Expectations" |
| 6 Across | 35. Office paper fastener |
| 7 Across | 43. Japanese soup flavoring |
| 8 Across | 68. Hwy. |
| 9 Across | 59. Monk's hood |
| 10 Across | 23. Barbie's boyfriend |
Hints and Answers for Across Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:
- No 27375 Sunday Oct 20 2024 Ny Times
- July 23 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- 2423 Friday Aug 22 2024 Usa Today
1 Across: "17. *High-status American Express offering"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 9 letters
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: B_______D
Answer: Click to reveal
BLACKCARD
2 Across: "63. Train conductor's cry … or a hint to each word in the answers to the starred clues"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 9 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: A_______D
Answer: Click to reveal
ALLABOARD
3 Across: "14. Pub pintful"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
ALE
4 Across: "61. Shade akin to cream"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'B' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: B___E
Answer: Click to reveal
BEIGE
5 Across: "38. Miss Havisham's ward in "Great Expectations""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 7 letters
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: E_____A
Answer: Click to reveal
ESTELLA
6 Across: "35. Office paper fastener"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'P'
- Word pattern: C__P
Answer: Click to reveal
CLIP
7 Across: "43. Japanese soup flavoring"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: M__O
Answer: Click to reveal
MISO
8 Across: "68. Hwy."
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
RTE
9 Across: "59. Monk's hood"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: C__L
Answer: Click to reveal
COWL
10 Across: "23. Barbie's boyfriend"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'K' and ends with 'N'
- Another word like this: sight
Answer: Click to reveal
KEN
Down Clues - 10 Total
These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 2. Bold poker bet |
| 2 Down | 7. Premature |
| 3 Down | 52. "Se ___ español" |
| 4 Down | 36. ___ favor |
| 5 Down | 60. Ride from an airport, maybe |
| 6 Down | 49. Owl's question? |
| 7 Down | 64. Place to park |
| 8 Down | 62. Republicans, for short |
| 9 Down | 40. Behind |
| 10 Down | 55. Chicago airport |
Hints and Answers for Down Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
- No 27375 Sunday Oct 20 2024 Ny Times
- 2423 Friday Aug 22 2024 Usa Today
- Today Crossword Solution Online January
1 Down: "2. Bold poker bet"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: A___N
Answer: Click to reveal
ALLIN
2 Down: "7. Premature"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'Y'
- Word pattern: E___Y
Answer: Click to reveal
EARLY
3 Down: "52. "Se ___ español""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'H' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: H___A
Answer: Click to reveal
HABLA
4 Down: "36. ___ favor"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
POR
5 Down: "60. Ride from an airport, maybe"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'U' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: U__R
Answer: Click to reveal
UBER
6 Down: "49. Owl's question?"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'W' and ends with 'O'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
WHO
7 Down: "64. Place to park"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'T'
- Another word like this: deal
Answer: Click to reveal
LOT
8 Down: "62. Republicans, for short"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'P'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
GOP
9 Down: "40. Behind"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: L__E
Answer: Click to reveal
LATE
10 Down: "55. Chicago airport"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: O___E
Answer: Click to reveal
OHARE
How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster
Here are the best tips from expert solvers:
Step-by-Step Strategy
- Quick Scan: Read all clues once. Your brain starts working on them right away.
- Easy First: Fill in the shortest words (2-3 letters). These are usually simple words like "IT" or "ON".
- Use Crossings: When letters cross, they help you figure out harder words.
- Watch for Wordplay: Clues with question marks (?) are jokes or puns.
- Common Words: Remember these appear often: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE.
Letter Tips That Really Help
- The letter E is the most common in English
- Words ending in S are often plurals
- If you see "___" in a clue, the answer fits those blanks exactly
- Abbreviations in clues mean the answer is also abbreviated
Time Goals to Aim For
| Your Time | Skill Level | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Under 30 seconds | Expert | You know the puzzle patterns very well! |
| 30-60 seconds | Advanced | Great job! You solve quickly. |
| 1-2 minutes | Good | You're doing well. Keep practicing! |
| Over 2 minutes | Learning | You'll get faster with practice. |
Puzzle Numbers and Facts
| Total Clues: | 20 clues to solve |
| Grid Size: | 5 boxes across, 5 boxes down |
| Total Squares: | 25 squares to fill |
| Average Time: | Most people solve in 1 minute 10 seconds |
| Difficulty: | A bit tricky |
Common Questions About NYT Mini Crossword
When can I play the NYT Mini?
The puzzle comes out at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before. So you can play Monday's puzzle starting Sunday at 10 PM.
How fast should I be able to solve it?
Most people solve the Mini in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Don't worry if you take longer - speed comes with practice!
Do I need to pay to play?
No! The NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.
What makes a good Mini solver?
Good Mini solvers know common short words, can spot wordplay quickly, and use crossing letters well. Practice helps a lot!
Are the puzzles harder on certain days?
Unlike the big NYT crossword, the Mini stays about the same difficulty every day. Sometimes Saturday might be a tiny bit harder.
No comments:
Post a Comment