Mini Crossword NYT November 05, 2025 - Today's Puzzle Solved in Under 3 Minutes

Quick Summary: Today's NYT Mini Crossword has 20 clues total. We have all the answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!

About Today's Puzzle

NYT Mini Crossword solutions for November 05, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Wednesday, November 05, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	November 05, 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.

5x5 Crossword Grid Pattern
	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.

Across Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Across	63. Tailors
2 Across	64. On the briny
3 Across	62. Blue Ribbon beer
4 Across	37. Part of a drum kit
5 Across	58. Setting of many Winter Olympics
6 Across	9. Cry of resignation
7 Across	49. Vintage film channel
8 Across	26. They may be betrayed by stammers and blushes
9 Across	60. Scotch order specification
10 Across	41. Boatloads

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:

1 Across: "63. Tailors"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S__S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEWS

2 Across: "64. On the briny"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: A__A

Answer:

Click to reveal

ASEA

3 Across: "62. Blue Ribbon beer"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: P___T

Answer:

Click to reveal

PABST

4 Across: "37. Part of a drum kit"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: S___E

Answer:

Click to reveal

SNARE

5 Across: "58. Setting of many Winter Olympics"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: A__S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ALPS

6 Across: "9. Cry of resignation"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'I' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: I___T

Answer:

Click to reveal

IQUIT

7 Across: "49. Vintage film channel"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'M'
This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal

TCM

8 Across: "26. They may be betrayed by stammers and blushes"

Helpful hints:

This word has 13 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S___________S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SECRETCRUSHES

9 Across: "60. Scotch order specification"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: N__T

Answer:

Click to reveal

NEAT

10 Across: "41. Boatloads"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: A__N

Answer:

Click to reveal

ATON

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	31. Understands
2 Down	13. Mess (with)
3 Down	45. Granny, in the South
4 Down	29. Dos, but not don'ts
5 Down	2. Hard to get to, in a way
6 Down	39. ___ Stadium, former venue for D.C. United
7 Down	6. Thrill seeker's line
8 Down	46. Balance sheet heading
9 Down	54. Kind of bean that pairs well with a nice Chianti, per Hannibal Lecter
10 Down	30. World's fair, e.g.

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:

1 Down: "31. Understands"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S__S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEES

2 Down: "13. Mess (with)"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'Y'
Another word like this: play

Answer:

Click to reveal

TOY

3 Down: "45. Granny, in the South"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'M' and ends with 'W'
Word pattern: M____W

Answer:

Click to reveal

MEEMAW

4 Down: "29. Dos, but not don'ts"

Helpful hints:

This word has 10 letters
It starts with 'H' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: H________S

Answer:

Click to reveal

HAIRSTYLES

5 Down: "2. Hard to get to, in a way"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'F'
Word pattern: A___F

Answer:

Click to reveal

ALOOF

6 Down: "39. ___ Stadium, former venue for D.C. United"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'K'
This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal

RFK

7 Down: "6. Thrill seeker's line"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'B' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: B____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

BUNGEE

8 Down: "46. Balance sheet heading"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: A____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ASSETS

9 Down: "54. Kind of bean that pairs well with a nice Chianti, per Hannibal Lecter"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'F' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: F__A

Answer:

Click to reveal

FAVA

10 Down: "30. World's fair, e.g."

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: E__O

Answer:

Click to reveal

EXPO

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

Today's Puzzle by the Numbers
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 45 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.

Search Clues

Wednesday, November 5, 2025