NYT Mini Puzzle Trivia Week 2 January 08, 2026 - Solved

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 January 08, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Thursday, January 08, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	January 08, 2026
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 Trivia Week {week_num} 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	47. Tea traders?
2 Across	66. Hit TV series set at the fictional William McKinley High School
3 Across	69. Fictional lover of Rochester
4 Across	32. Benefactor with a limited number of grants?
5 Across	14. Coffee option
6 Across	8. Photographer Diane
7 Across	55. Feel under the weather
8 Across	4. Lessons that might be spelled out for you?
9 Across	43. Full of zing
10 Across	67. Cpl. or sgt.

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: "47. Tea traders?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: Y____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

YENTAS

2 Across: "66. Hit TV series set at the fictional William McKinley High School"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'G' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: G__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

GLEE

3 Across: "69. Fictional lover of Rochester"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EYRE

4 Across: "32. Benefactor with a limited number of grants?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

GENIE

5 Across: "14. Coffee option"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'P'
Word pattern: D__P

Answer:

Click to reveal

DRIP

6 Across: "8. Photographer Diane"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: A___S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ARBUS

7 Across: "55. Feel under the weather"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

AIL

8 Across: "4. Lessons that might be spelled out for you?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ABCS

9 Across: "43. Full of zing"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'Z' and ends with 'Y'
Word pattern: Z___Y

Answer:

Click to reveal

ZESTY

10 Across: "67. Cpl. or sgt."

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

NCO

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	7. Stab, in a way
2 Down	38. Albatross, so to speak
3 Down	11. Open, as a fanny pack
4 Down	12. Scrapes
5 Down	6. Kind of duty
6 Down	49. Like the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey
7 Down	17. Get wind of
8 Down	46. PlayStation alternatives
9 Down	26. Nursing spot
10 Down	36. "In da Club" rapper

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "7. Stab, in a way"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: S___R

Answer:

Click to reveal

SPEAR

2 Down: "38. Albatross, so to speak"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ONUS

3 Down: "11. Open, as a fanny pack"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'U' and ends with 'P'
Word pattern: U___P

Answer:

Click to reveal

UNZIP

4 Down: "12. Scrapes"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SKINS

5 Down: "6. Kind of duty"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

CIVIC

6 Down: "49. Like the Coronation Chair in Westminster Abbey"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

OAKEN

7 Down: "17. Get wind of"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'H' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: H__R

Answer:

Click to reveal

HEAR

8 Down: "46. PlayStation alternatives"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'X' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: X____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

XBOXES

9 Down: "26. Nursing spot"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

TEAT

10 Down: "36. "In da Club" rapper"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'F' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: F_______T

Answer:

Click to reveal

FIFTYCENT

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:	Normal

Common Questions About Trivia Week 2

When can I play the Trivia Week 2 Mini?

The Trivia Week 2 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 2?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 2 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 Trivia Week 2?

No! The Trivia Week 2 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 2 solver?

Good Trivia Week 2 solvers know common short words, can spot wordplay quickly, and use crossing letters well. Practice helps a lot!

Are the puzzles harder during Trivia Week 2?

Trivia Week 2 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

Search Clues

Thursday, January 8, 2026