Today's 5×5 NYT Mini December 13, 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 December 13, 2025 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Saturday, December 13, 2025

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	December 13, 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	42. "___ won't!"
2 Across	45. They travel through tubes
3 Across	1. Possible turnoff on a first date
4 Across	12. Yellow 5 and Red 40, for two
5 Across	48. Gluttonous request ... or what this puzzle has vis-à-vis the possible answer lengths?
6 Across	52. Morning prayer
7 Across	34. Board of creatives?
8 Across	40. First, second or third
9 Across	46. "Dang it!"
10 Across	24. Robert Byrd was one for 51 years: Abbr.

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: "42. "___ won't!""

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

NOI

2 Across: "45. They travel through tubes"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'A'
Another word like this: ovum

Answer:

Click to reveal

OVA

3 Across: "1. Possible turnoff on a first date"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'B' and ends with 'H'
Word pattern: B_______H

Answer:

Click to reveal

BADBREATH

4 Across: "12. Yellow 5 and Red 40, for two"

Helpful hints:

This word has 13 letters
It starts with 'F' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: F___________S

Answer:

Click to reveal

FOODADDITIVES

5 Across: "48. Gluttonous request ... or what this puzzle has vis-à-vis the possible answer lengths?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 15 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: O_____________G

Answer:

Click to reveal

ONEOFEVERYTHING

6 Across: "52. Morning prayer"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

MATINS

7 Across: "34. Board of creatives?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: P_____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

PALETTE

8 Across: "40. First, second or third"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'L'
Word pattern: O_____L

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORDINAL

9 Across: "46. "Dang it!""

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: A___N

Answer:

Click to reveal

AWMAN

10 Across: "24. Robert Byrd was one for 51 years: Abbr."

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEN

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	28. Pot user?
2 Down	31. Birds also known as "little auks"
3 Down	13. Some of them may be forgiven
4 Down	9. Order at a restaurant
5 Down	26. Cousin of a wolverine
6 Down	49. A little work
7 Down	50. Pitch, roll and ___ (rotations along the three-dimensional axes)
8 Down	47. Sound from fans
9 Down	4. Fancy hotel amenities
10 Down	41. Rapper with the 2022 hit "Big Energy"

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "28. Pot user?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EELER

2 Down: "31. Birds also known as "little auks""

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEADOVES

3 Down: "13. Some of them may be forgiven"

Helpful hints:

This word has 12 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S__________S

Answer:

Click to reveal

STUDENTLOANS

4 Down: "9. Order at a restaurant"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'H' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: H__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

HAVE

5 Down: "26. Cousin of a wolverine"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: O___R

Answer:

Click to reveal

OTTER

6 Down: "49. A little work"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ERG

7 Down: "50. Pitch, roll and ___ (rotations along the three-dimensional axes)"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

YAW

8 Down: "47. Sound from fans"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'W' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: W__R

Answer:

Click to reveal

WHIR

9 Down: "4. Fancy hotel amenities"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

BIDETS

10 Down: "41. Rapper with the 2022 hit "Big Energy""

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'L' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: L___O

Answer:

Click to reveal

LATTO

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:	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

Saturday, December 13, 2025