Mini Crossword NYT December 27, 2025 - Today's Puzzle Solved in Under 1 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 December 27, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Saturday, December 27, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	December 27, 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	19. Price-ending digits, often
2 Across	43. Many a popular TikTok
3 Across	39. Divert
4 Across	42. Bad singer?
5 Across	32. Superman's mother
6 Across	51. Gets dragged along on a beach trip?
7 Across	5. ___ Seton, author of "Foxfire" and "Katherine"
8 Across	18. "At this point, that's no surprise"
9 Across	62. List abbr.
10 Across	63. Certain wings

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: "19. Price-ending digits, often"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

NINES

2 Across: "43. Many a popular TikTok"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'M' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: M__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

MEME

3 Across: "39. Divert"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: A___E

Answer:

Click to reveal

AMUSE

4 Across: "42. Bad singer?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

RAT

5 Across: "32. Superman's mother"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

LARA

6 Across: "51. Gets dragged along on a beach trip?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

WATERSKIS

7 Across: "5. ___ Seton, author of "Foxfire" and "Katherine""

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ANYA

8 Across: "18. "At this point, that's no surprise""

Helpful hints:

This word has 10 letters
It starts with 'I' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: I________T

Answer:

Click to reveal

IMUSEDTOIT

9 Across: "62. List abbr."

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'L'
Word pattern: E__L

Answer:

Click to reveal

ETAL

10 Across: "63. Certain wings"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ELLS

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	35. Historical region of southwestern France
2 Down	27. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria
3 Down	11. 2021 science fiction novel by Nnedi Okorafor
4 Down	12. "Whatcha ___?"
5 Down	13. Makes a choice
6 Down	16. John with some ground-breaking inventions
7 Down	28. Cold bathhouse amenity
8 Down	44. Let up
9 Down	46. First responder, for short
10 Down	54. Wind-up toy?

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "35. Historical region of southwestern France"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: A_______E

Answer:

Click to reveal

AQUITAINE

2 Down: "27. "Do the Right Thing" pizzeria"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SALS

3 Down: "11. 2021 science fiction novel by Nnedi Okorafor"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: N__R

Answer:

Click to reveal

NOOR

4 Down: "12. "Whatcha ___?""

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: D__N

Answer:

Click to reveal

DOIN

5 Down: "13. Makes a choice"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

OPTS

6 Down: "16. John with some ground-breaking inventions"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

DEERE

7 Down: "28. Cold bathhouse amenity"

Helpful hints:

This word has 10 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'L'
Word pattern: P________L

Answer:

Click to reveal

PLUNGEPOOL

8 Down: "44. Let up"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EASED

9 Down: "46. First responder, for short"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EMT

10 Down: "54. Wind-up toy?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'K' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: K__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

KITE

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:	A bit tricky

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, December 27, 2025