Today's 5×5 NYT Mini December 31, 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!
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About Today's Puzzle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | December 31, 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.
| 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.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Across | 34. Knights of ___, dark order in the third "Star Wars" trilogy |
| 2 Across | 62. Grp. that carries badges |
| 3 Across | 65. Hanker (for) |
| 4 Across | 57. Bloom that's green |
| 5 Across | 14. Love of Italy? |
| 6 Across | 66. Things people prefer to type on in secrecy, for short |
| 7 Across | 64. "That makes sense now!" |
| 8 Across | 30. Marketplace of ancient Greece |
| 9 Across | 12. Map out |
| 10 Across | 41. Article in hip-hop titles |
Hints and Answers for Across Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:
- February 11 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- December 10 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- September 21 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Across: "34. Knights of ___, dark order in the third "Star Wars" trilogy"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'R' and ends with 'N'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
REN
2 Across: "62. Grp. that carries badges"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'F' and ends with 'I'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
FBI
3 Across: "65. Hanker (for)"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'N'
- Another word like this: ache
Answer: Click to reveal
YEN
4 Across: "57. Bloom that's green"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: A___E
Answer: Click to reveal
ALGAE
5 Across: "14. Love of Italy?"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: A___E
Answer: Click to reveal
AMORE
6 Across: "66. Things people prefer to type on in secrecy, for short"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: A__S
Answer: Click to reveal
ATMS
7 Across: "64. "That makes sense now!""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'I' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: I__E
Answer: Click to reveal
ISEE
8 Across: "30. Marketplace of ancient Greece"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
- Word pattern: A___A
Answer: Click to reveal
AGORA
9 Across: "12. Map out"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'N'
- Word pattern: P__N
Answer: Click to reveal
PLAN
10 Across: "41. Article in hip-hop titles"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'A'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
THA
Down Clues - 10 Total
These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 11. Williams in the Baseball Hall of Fame |
| 2 Down | 4. Fairy tale character with a hard bed |
| 3 Down | 47. Prefix meaning "one-thousandth" |
| 4 Down | 37. Most August babies |
| 5 Down | 15. Colorful parrot |
| 6 Down | 22. Ending for many a 20-Down |
| 7 Down | 21. Lead-in to liberalism |
| 8 Down | 36. One-named performer known as "Mr. Showmanship" |
| 9 Down | 32. Nueve menos uno |
| 10 Down | 5. Arab leaders |
Hints and Answers for Down Clues
Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
- January 24 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
- February 16 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
- March 16 2022 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Down: "11. Williams in the Baseball Hall of Fame"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'T' and ends with 'D'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
TED
2 Down: "4. Fairy tale character with a hard bed"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 8 letters
- It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R'
- Word pattern: P______R
Answer: Click to reveal
PAPABEAR
3 Down: "47. Prefix meaning "one-thousandth""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'I'
- Word pattern: M___I
Answer: Click to reveal
MILLI
4 Down: "37. Most August babies"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: L__S
Answer: Click to reveal
LEOS
5 Down: "15. Colorful parrot"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'M' and ends with 'W'
- Word pattern: M___W
Answer: Click to reveal
MACAW
6 Down: "22. Ending for many a 20-Down"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T'
- Another word like this: sack
Answer: Click to reveal
NET
7 Down: "21. Lead-in to liberalism"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 3 letters
- It starts with 'N' and ends with 'O'
- This is a short form or acronym
Answer: Click to reveal
NEO
8 Down: "36. One-named performer known as "Mr. Showmanship""
Helpful hints:
- This word has 8 letters
- It starts with 'L' and ends with 'E'
- Word pattern: L______E
Answer: Click to reveal
LIBERACE
9 Down: "32. Nueve menos uno"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 4 letters
- It starts with 'O' and ends with 'O'
- Word pattern: O__O
Answer: Click to reveal
OCHO
10 Down: "5. Arab leaders"
Helpful hints:
- This word has 5 letters
- It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
- Word pattern: E___S
Answer: Click to reveal
EMIRS
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
| 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 52 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.
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