NYT Mini Crossword Trivia Week 3 July 20, 2026 - Daily Answers

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 July 20, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Monday, July 20, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	July 20, 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	35. Young Yorkie, e.g.
2 Across	60. "My sympathies" ... or what could be said of 17-, 27- and 46-Across
3 Across	57. Agricultural locale
4 Across	27. One with Q or Z is worth 10 points
5 Across	20. Something at either end of a hammock, often
6 Across	51. Begin to grow choppers
7 Across	33. Regret
8 Across	40. Blue state?
9 Across	68. Hockey feints
10 Across	63. Rapper Tone ___

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: "35. Young Yorkie, e.g."

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'P'
Another word like this: whelp

Answer:

Click to reveal

PUP

2 Across: "60. "My sympathies" ... or what could be said of 17-, 27- and 46-Across"

Helpful hints:

This word has 11 letters
It starts with 'I' and ends with 'U'
Word pattern: I_________U

Answer:

Click to reveal

IFEELFORYOU

3 Across: "57. Agricultural locale"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'F' and ends with 'M'
Word pattern: F__M

Answer:

Click to reveal

FARM

4 Across: "27. One with Q or Z is worth 10 points"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SCRABBLETILE

5 Across: "20. Something at either end of a hammock, often"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

TREE

6 Across: "51. Begin to grow choppers"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: T____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

TEETHE

7 Across: "33. Regret"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E'
Another word like this: sorrow

Answer:

Click to reveal

RUE

8 Across: "40. Blue state?"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

WOE

9 Across: "68. Hockey feints"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

DEKES

10 Across: "63. Rapper Tone ___"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

LOC

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	26. Utter delight
2 Down	49. Spongy ball material
3 Down	38. Monster of Tolkiendom
4 Down	53. Slowly chip away at
5 Down	48. Bikini and others
6 Down	47. Important consideration for A.I. programmers
7 Down	32. U.S./Soviet competition of the 1950s-'60s
8 Down	39. Very wise
9 Down	9. And more like that: Abbr.
10 Down	3. Wild party

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "26. Utter delight"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

GLEE

2 Down: "49. Spongy ball material"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'F'
Word pattern: N__F

Answer:

Click to reveal

NERF

3 Down: "38. Monster of Tolkiendom"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ORC

4 Down: "53. Slowly chip away at"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ERODE

5 Down: "48. Bikini and others"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: A____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ATOLLS

6 Down: "47. Important consideration for A.I. programmers"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: E____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ETHICS

7 Down: "32. U.S./Soviet competition of the 1950s-'60s"

Helpful hints:

This word has 9 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: S_______E

Answer:

Click to reveal

SPACERACE

8 Down: "39. Very wise"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SAGE

9 Down: "9. And more like that: Abbr."

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ETC

10 Down: "3. Wild party"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

RAGER

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:	Medium

Common Questions About Trivia Week 3

When can I play the Trivia Week 3 Mini?

The Trivia Week 3 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 3?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 3 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 3?

No! The Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 3 solver?

Good Trivia Week 3 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 3?

Trivia Week 3 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

Search Clues

Monday, July 20, 2026