NYT Mini Crossword Answers Today December 07, 2025 - All 20 Clues Solved & Expert 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 December 07, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Sunday, December 07, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	December 07, 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	122. Weirdly spooky
2 Across	62. Cattle calls
3 Across	86. Basic tenet of improv
4 Across	74. Like the Red Sea after a visit from Moses
5 Across	36. Emmy-winning actor Ray
6 Across	83. Hint
7 Across	123. Church staple
8 Across	124. "Vous ___ ici" (French map phrase)
9 Across	91. A urinal, according to Duchamp
10 Across	108. Bit of letter-shaped hardware

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: "122. Weirdly spooky"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EERIE

2 Across: "62. Cattle calls"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

LOWS

3 Across: "86. Basic tenet of improv"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: Y____D

Answer:

Click to reveal

YESAND

4 Across: "74. Like the Red Sea after a visit from Moses"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: P____D

Answer:

Click to reveal

PARTED

5 Across: "36. Emmy-winning actor Ray"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'L' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: L____A

Answer:

Click to reveal

LIOTTA

6 Across: "83. Hint"

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 Across: "123. Church staple"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: O___N

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORGAN

8 Across: "124. "Vous ___ ici" (French map phrase)"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ETES

9 Across: "91. A urinal, according to Duchamp"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ART

10 Across: "108. Bit of letter-shaped hardware"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: O___G

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORING

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	29. Starter, perhaps
2 Down	42. "Jeepers creepers!"
3 Down	52. Nullify
4 Down	92. Something for canines to sink their canines into
5 Down	13. One chain x one furlong
6 Down	9. Arabic greeting and farewell
7 Down	93. Toil
8 Down	90. McFlurry flavor
9 Down	8. Jelly you wouldn't pair with peanut butter
10 Down	114. Taxpayer IDs

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "29. Starter, perhaps"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SOUP

2 Down: "42. "Jeepers creepers!""

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: Y___S

Answer:

Click to reveal

YIPES

3 Down: "52. Nullify"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: N____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

NEGATE

4 Down: "92. Something for canines to sink their canines into"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'C' and ends with 'Y'
Word pattern: C_____Y

Answer:

Click to reveal

CHEWTOY

5 Down: "13. One chain x one furlong"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ACRE

6 Down: "9. Arabic greeting and farewell"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SALAAM

7 Down: "93. Toil"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: D____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

DRUDGE

8 Down: "90. McFlurry flavor"

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: "8. Jelly you wouldn't pair with peanut butter"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'C'
Word pattern: A___C

Answer:

Click to reveal

ASPIC

10 Down: "114. Taxpayer IDs"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SSNS

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 58 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

Sunday, December 7, 2025