Thursday NYT Mini Crossword Answers October 30, 2025 - Quick 5×5 Grid Solutions & Tips
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: Xwordhint Crossword Answers September_2 | May 02 2020 NYT Clues Solutions | February 09 2021 NYT Clues Solutions |
About Today's Puzzle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | October 30, 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 | 72. Abjures |
| 2 Across | 42. Desirable Vegas couple? |
| 3 Across | 27. Little pest |
| 4 Across | 15. Disney princess who longs to be "part of that world" |
| 5 Across | 71. Not just yet |
| 6 Across | 10. Prayer leader |
| 7 Across | 33. Binge |
| 8 Across | 47. ___ Blaster (toy) |
| 9 Across | 5. Argentine plain |
| 10 Across | 28. Animal with a white rump |
Hints and Answers for Across Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:
- December 13 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
- July 26 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- May 02 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Across: "72. Abjures"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 7 letters
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: E_____S
Answer: Click to reveal
ESCHEWS
2 Across: "42. Desirable Vegas couple?"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A__S
Answer: Click to reveal
ACES
3 Across: "27. Little pest"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
- Another word like this: emmet
Answer: Click to reveal
ANT
4 Across: "15. Disney princess who longs to be "part of that world""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: A___L
Answer: Click to reveal
ARIEL
5 Across: "71. Not just yet"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 7 letters
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: L_____N
Answer: Click to reveal
LATERON
6 Across: "10. Prayer leader"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: I__M
Answer: Click to reveal
IMAM
7 Across: "33. Binge"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: S___E
Answer: Click to reveal
SPREE
8 Across: "47. ___ Blaster (toy)"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'F'
- Word pattern: N__F
Answer: Click to reveal
NERF
9 Across: "5. Argentine plain"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: P___A
Answer: Click to reveal
PAMPA
10 Across: "28. Animal with a white rump"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'K'
- Another word like this: moose
Answer: Click to reveal
ELK
Down Clues - 10 Total
These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 34. Rate |
| 2 Down | 56. Get ready to have one's tonsils checked, perhaps |
| 3 Down | 51. Fool's gold |
| 4 Down | 5. *One selling commercial time, informally |
| 5 Down | 37. Chicago exchange, for short |
| 6 Down | 44. Calls to court |
| 7 Down | 7. The Marlins, on scoreboards |
| 8 Down | 59. Wanders |
| 9 Down | 9. *It's used to scrub in the tub |
| 10 Down | 3. Washington, Jefferson or Madison |
Hints and Answers for Down Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
- December 06 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
- August 05 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
- February 20 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Down: "34. Rate"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: P__E
Answer: Click to reveal
PACE
2 Down: "56. Get ready to have one's tonsils checked, perhaps"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'H'
- Word pattern: S___H
Answer: Click to reveal
SAYAH
3 Down: "51. Fool's gold"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 6 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: P____E
Answer: Click to reveal
PYRITE
4 Down: "5. *One selling commercial time, informally"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: P___E
Answer: Click to reveal
PADRE
5 Down: "37. Chicago exchange, for short"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'C'
- Word pattern: M__C
Answer: Click to reveal
MERC
6 Down: "44. Calls to court"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 8 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A______S
Answer: Click to reveal
ARRAIGNS
7 Down: "7. The Marlins, on scoreboards"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'A'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
MIA
8 Down: "59. Wanders"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: R___S
Answer: Click to reveal
ROVES
9 Down: "9. *It's used to scrub in the tub"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'F'
- Word pattern: A___F
Answer: Click to reveal
ALOOF
10 Down: "3. Washington, Jefferson or Madison"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 10 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: S________R
Answer: Click to reveal
SOUTHERNER
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 3 seconds |
| Difficulty: | Normal |
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.
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