Today's 5×5 NYT Mini November 26, 2025 - Instant Answers Plus Learning Hints

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 26, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	November 26, 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	28. With 34-Across, "Like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time" (2000)
2 Across	21. Jewish ceremony performed eight days after birth
3 Across	43. "A two-hour movie squeezed into three hours" (2001)
4 Across	20. "No" vote
5 Across	16. Woes
6 Across	33. Loch viewed from the village of Drumnadrochit
7 Across	63. Apple product introduced in 2010
8 Across	30. Fannie ___
9 Across	53. Cable channel since 1981
10 Across	40. Amazon wrapper

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: "28. With 34-Across, "Like taking a bus trip with someone who has needed a bath for a long time" (2000)"

Helpful hints:

This word has 11 letters
It starts with 'B' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: B_________D

Answer:

Click to reveal

BATTLEFIELD

2 Across: "21. Jewish ceremony performed eight days after birth"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

BRIS

3 Across: "43. "A two-hour movie squeezed into three hours" (2001)"

Helpful hints:

This word has 11 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: P_________R

Answer:

Click to reveal

PEARLHARBOR

4 Across: "20. "No" vote"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

NAY

5 Across: "16. Woes"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ILLS

6 Across: "33. Loch viewed from the village of Drumnadrochit"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

NESS

7 Across: "63. Apple product introduced in 2010"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'I' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: I__D

Answer:

Click to reveal

IPAD

8 Across: "30. Fannie ___"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

MAE

9 Across: "53. Cable channel since 1981"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

MTV

10 Across: "40. Amazon wrapper"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

BOA

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	57. Letter after chi
2 Down	3. "Wait!"
3 Down	43. Modest poker holding
4 Down	11. Veteran
5 Down	46. Jenna of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"
6 Down	9. Disorderly heap of people
7 Down	26. Right direction?
8 Down	4. Once-common pesticide banned in 1972
9 Down	56. "You ___!" (words of agreement)
10 Down	41. One way to get to an airport

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "57. Letter after chi"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

PSI

2 Down: "3. "Wait!""

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: N____T

Answer:

Click to reveal

NOTYET

3 Down: "43. Modest poker holding"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: P__R

Answer:

Click to reveal

PAIR

4 Down: "11. Veteran"

Helpful hints:

This word has 8 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: O______R

Answer:

Click to reveal

OLDTIMER

5 Down: "46. Jenna of "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice""

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: O____A

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORTEGA

6 Down: "9. Disorderly heap of people"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: D_____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

DOGPILE

7 Down: "26. Right direction?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: E__T

Answer:

Click to reveal

EAST

8 Down: "4. Once-common pesticide banned in 1972"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

DDT

9 Down: "56. "You ___!" (words of agreement)"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

BET

10 Down: "41. One way to get to an airport"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: S_____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

SHUTTLE

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 1 minute 10 seconds
Difficulty:	Medium

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 26, 2025