NYT Mini Crossword November 29, 2025 Hints & Answers - Beat the Average 1-Minute Time

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 29, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Saturday, November 29, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	November 29, 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	23. Drummer Peart
2 Across	50. Valuable city-building resource in Catan
3 Across	26. Know-it-all who might have a ball?
4 Across	35. Minor crashes?
5 Across	46. Voguing sequence
6 Across	25. Groan-worthy, say, as a joke
7 Across	48. "Man, that's loud!"
8 Across	44. Musical production that might include grunts, groans, thwops, snorts and barks
9 Across	34. They're protected by scabbards
10 Across	40. Word with flat or tax

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: "23. Drummer Peart"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'L'
Word pattern: N__L

Answer:

Click to reveal

NEIL

2 Across: "50. Valuable city-building resource in Catan"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORE

3 Across: "26. Know-it-all who might have a ball?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEER

4 Across: "35. Minor crashes?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

NAPS

5 Across: "46. Voguing sequence"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: P___S

Answer:

Click to reveal

POSES

6 Across: "25. Groan-worthy, say, as a joke"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'C' and ends with 'Y'
Word pattern: C___Y

Answer:

Click to reveal

CORNY

7 Across: "48. "Man, that's loud!""

Helpful hints:

This word has 11 letters
It starts with 'W' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: W_________T

Answer:

Click to reveal

WHATARACKET

8 Across: "44. Musical production that might include grunts, groans, thwops, snorts and barks"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'W' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: W_______G

Answer:

Click to reveal

WHALESONG

9 Across: "34. They're protected by scabbards"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SABERS

10 Across: "40. Word with flat or tax"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: R__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

RATE

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	27. High-level intelligence assets?
2 Down	23. Prominent features on goblin sharks
3 Down	21. Play list?
4 Down	45. Transport
5 Down	8. About half of all these are made in Philadelphia, for short
6 Down	1. Leave no ___ (camping tenet)
7 Down	11. Wrapped
8 Down	25. What sfouf is, in Lebanese cuisine
9 Down	49. 2004 biopic for which Jamie Foxx won an Oscar
10 Down	31. Coast

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "27. High-level intelligence assets?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S_______S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SPYPLANES

2 Down: "23. Prominent features on goblin sharks"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: N___S

Answer:

Click to reveal

NOSES

3 Down: "21. Play list?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: R____R

Answer:

Click to reveal

ROSTER

4 Down: "45. Transport"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SHIP

5 Down: "8. About half of all these are made in Philadelphia, for short"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'U' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: U_____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

USCOINS

6 Down: "1. Leave no ___ (camping tenet)"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: T___E

Answer:

Click to reveal

TRACE

7 Down: "11. Wrapped"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: E___D

Answer:

Click to reveal

ENDED

8 Down: "25. What sfouf is, in Lebanese cuisine"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'C' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: C__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

CAKE

9 Down: "49. 2004 biopic for which Jamie Foxx won an Oscar"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'Y'
Another word like this: radiate

Answer:

Click to reveal

RAY

10 Down: "31. Coast"

Helpful hints:

This word has 8 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: S______E

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEASHORE

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

Saturday, November 29, 2025