Today's NYT Mini Crossword October 23, 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: November 07 2022 NYT Clues Solutions | May 07 2022 NYT Clues Solutions | June 27 2020 NYT Clues Solutions |
About Today's Puzzle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | October 23, 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 | 61. River through Kazakhstan |
| 2 Across | 40. Things opened before passengers exit an aircraft |
| 3 Across | 36. End of a municipal address? |
| 4 Across | 56. Units equal to roughly a quarter of a calorie |
| 5 Across | 45. Star of NBC's "The Blacklist" |
| 6 Across | 54. ___ Hashana |
| 7 Across | 51. Brief moments, in brief |
| 8 Across | 33. Location that requires tickets for checking out, but not checking in |
| 9 Across | 23. "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Cooper |
| 10 Across | 24. Words of denial |
Hints and Answers for Across Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:
- November 07 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- September 18 2019 NYT Clues Solutions
- November 10 2023 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Across: "61. River through Kazakhstan"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'U' and ends with 'L'
- Word pattern: U__L
Answer: Click to reveal
URAL
2 Across: "40. Things opened before passengers exit an aircraft"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 10 letters
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: C________S
Answer: Click to reveal
CABINDOORS
3 Across: "36. End of a municipal address?"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'V'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
GOV
4 Across: "56. Units equal to roughly a quarter of a calorie"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 6 letters
- It starts with 'J' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: J____S
Answer: Click to reveal
JOULES
5 Across: "45. Star of NBC's "The Blacklist""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 11 letters
- It starts with 'J' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: J_________R
Answer: Click to reveal
JAMESSPADER
6 Across: "54. ___ Hashana"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'H'
- Word pattern: R__H
Answer: Click to reveal
ROSH
7 Across: "51. Brief moments, in brief"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: S__S
Answer: Click to reveal
SECS
8 Across: "33. Location that requires tickets for checking out, but not checking in"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 8 letters
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'M'
- Word pattern: C______M
Answer: Click to reveal
COATROOM
9 Across: "23. "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Cooper"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'X'
- Word pattern: A__X
Answer: Click to reveal
ALEX
10 Across: "24. Words of denial"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: N__I
Answer: Click to reveal
NOTI
Down Clues - 10 Total
These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 53. Where Rudolph could first be seen in 2000, for short |
| 2 Down | 39. Site of a huge annual crowd |
| 3 Down | 30. Best ever, informally |
| 4 Down | 46. Bit of food for a hamster |
| 5 Down | 32. Common fixtures over fireplaces |
| 6 Down | 52. Certain salad veggies |
| 7 Down | 34. Part of U.S.M.A.: Abbr. |
| 8 Down | 57. Product with a Cakesters variety |
| 9 Down | 12. Figures on DraftKings or FanDuel |
| 10 Down | 18. ___ Nicolas, remotest of California's Channel Islands |
Hints and Answers for Down Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
- June 27 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
- All NYT Across Clues September 27 2025
- September 29 2021 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Down: "53. Where Rudolph could first be seen in 2000, for short"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'L'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
SNL
2 Down: "39. Site of a huge annual crowd"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 11 letters
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: T_________E
Answer: Click to reveal
TIMESSQUARE
3 Down: "30. Best ever, informally"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'G' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: G__T
Answer: Click to reveal
GOAT
4 Down: "46. Bit of food for a hamster"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 6 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'T'
- Word pattern: P____T
Answer: Click to reveal
PELLET
5 Down: "32. Common fixtures over fireplaces"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
- Another word like this: TV
Answer: Click to reveal
TVS
6 Down: "52. Certain salad veggies"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'C' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: C___S
Answer: Click to reveal
CUKES
7 Down: "34. Part of U.S.M.A.: Abbr."
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'D'
- Word pattern: A__D
Answer: Click to reveal
ACAD
8 Down: "57. Product with a Cakesters variety"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: O__O
Answer: Click to reveal
OREO
9 Down: "12. Figures on DraftKings or FanDuel"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: O__S
Answer: Click to reveal
ODDS
10 Down: "18. ___ Nicolas, remotest of California's Channel Islands"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'S' and ends with 'N'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
SAN
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 58 seconds |
| Difficulty: | Easy |
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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