Today's Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini Crossword October 18, 2026 Answers

Here's today's NYT Mini — 20 clues in total, and we've got hints plus answers for every one of them.

About Today's Puzzle

NYT Mini Crossword solutions for October 18, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Sunday, October 18, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	October 18, 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 3 NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout

Standard Mini size again: 5 across, 5 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 One Fast

Skim every clue once before you write anything — your brain keeps chewing on the ones you don't solve right away.
Knock out the short answers (3 letters or under) first.
Lean on the crossing letters once a couple of words are in.
A question mark in a clue usually means there's a pun coming.
THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT — these little words show up constantly, keep them in your back pocket.

Quick Facts

Squares in the grid: 25
How long it takes: usually under a minute once you're warmed up
Best moment for it: any short break
Overall difficulty: easy-going by design

Across Clues - 10 Total

These run left to right across the grid.

Across Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Across	94. Figure, informally
2 Across	28. Softens with sudden sympathy or affection
3 Across	72. Bond
4 Across	44. View spoiler
5 Across	84. Brand represented by Happy the Oil Drop
6 Across	78. Tree that can be a source of water for thirsty elephants
7 Across	120. Analogue of a delete key
8 Across	32. "What"
9 Across	76. Apt name for a thief
10 Across	75. Small + or –

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

Stuck on one? Hints and answers for each clue are below. A few other guides worth a look:

1 Across: "94. Figure, informally"

Hints:

In plain terms: alternative names for the body of a human being.
Starts with 'B', ends with 'D'.
You're looking for 3 letters.

Answer:

Click to reveal

BOD

2 Across: "28. Softens with sudden sympathy or affection"

Hints:

It's a 5-letter word.
If that helps, the shape is: M___S
'thawing' points in the same direction.

Answer:

Click to reveal

MELTS

3 Across: "72. Bond"

Hints:

Close enough in meaning: linkup.
Count on 3 letters here.
Starts with 'T', ends with 'E'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

TIE

4 Across: "44. View spoiler"

Hints:

First letter's a 'E', last letter's a 'E'.
Basically, something very ugly and offensive.
It's a 7-letter word.

Answer:

Click to reveal

EYESORE

5 Across: "84. Brand represented by Happy the Oil Drop"

Hints:

First letter's a 'E', last letter's a 'O'.
Short form / acronym territory here.
Count on 4 letters here.

Answer:

Click to reveal

ESSO

6 Across: "78. Tree that can be a source of water for thirsty elephants"

Hints:

This one runs 6 letters long.
Starts with 'B', ends with 'B'.
Blank it out and you get: B____B

Answer:

Click to reveal

BAOBAB

7 Across: "120. Analogue of a delete key"

Hints:

Basically, an implement used to erase something.
Kicks off with 'E' and wraps up with 'R'.
Blank it out and you get: E____R

Answer:

Click to reveal

ERASER

8 Across: "32. "What""

Hints:

Kicks off with 'I' and wraps up with 'T'.
You're looking for 12 letters.

Answer:

Click to reveal

ITELLYOUWHAT

9 Across: "76. Apt name for a thief"

Hints:

You could also think of it as "plume."
Count on 3 letters here.
Starts with 'R', ends with 'B'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

ROB

10 Across: "75. Small + or –"

Hints:

It's a 3-letter word.
This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
Kicks off with 'I' and wraps up with 'N'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

ION

Down Clues - 10 Total

These run top to bottom in the grid.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	87. Ousted, democratically
2 Down	35. Weak, as an excuse
3 Down	7. Novel form of summer escapism?
4 Down	47. Like Amazon forests, typically
5 Down	36. "Ibis" poet
6 Down	74. Big bang source
7 Down	77. Like London's Kew Gardens
8 Down	42. Gawker
9 Down	1. Short cut
10 Down	62. John M. ___, director of 2024's "Wicked"

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

Same deal here — hints then answers. You might also like:

1 Down: "87. Ousted, democratically"

Hints:

You're looking for 8 letters.
Starts with 'V', ends with 'T'.
Blank it out and you get: V______T

Answer:

Click to reveal

VOTEDOUT

2 Down: "35. Weak, as an excuse"

Hints:

It's a 4-letter word.
'halt' points in the same direction.
Basically, someone who doesn't understand what is going on.

Answer:

Click to reveal

LAME

3 Down: "7. Novel form of summer escapism?"

Hints:

Blank it out and you get: P______D
Starts with 'P', ends with 'D'.
You're looking for 8 letters.

Answer:

Click to reveal

POOLREAD

4 Down: "47. Like Amazon forests, typically"

Hints:

Blank it out and you get: R___Y
Think of it this way — (of weather) wet by periods of rain.
Starts with 'R', ends with 'Y'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

RAINY

5 Down: "36. "Ibis" poet"

Hints:

Short form / acronym territory here.
You're looking for 4 letters.
First letter's a 'O', last letter's a 'D'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

OVID

6 Down: "74. Big bang source"

Hints:

Close enough in meaning: cap.
Blank it out and you get: D_______R
First letter's a 'D', last letter's a 'R'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

DETONATOR

7 Down: "77. Like London's Kew Gardens"

Hints:

First letter's a 'B', last letter's a 'C'.
Blank it out and you get: B_____C
You're looking for 7 letters.

Answer:

Click to reveal

BOTANIC

8 Down: "42. Gawker"

Hints:

If that helps, the shape is: L______O
Count on 8 letters here.
First letter's a 'L', last letter's a 'O'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

LOOKYLOO

9 Down: "1. Short cut"

Hints:

Starts with 'S', ends with 'P'.
It's a 4-letter word.
Short form / acronym territory here.

Answer:

Click to reveal

SNIP

10 Down: "62. John M. ___, director of 2024's "Wicked""

Hints:

It's a 3-letter word.
Short form / acronym territory here.
First letter's a 'C', last letter's a 'U'.

Answer:

Click to reveal

CHU

How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster

A few things that actually help once you've been doing these a while:

Step-by-Step Strategy

Scan before you solve: One quick read-through of all the clues before you commit to anything usually pays off.
Short words first: The 2-3 letter answers are almost always the low-hanging fruit.
Let crossings guide you: Harder answers get much easier once a couple of crossing letters are locked in.
Puns hide behind question marks: If a clue ends in "?", expect wordplay, not a straight answer.
A few words repeat a lot: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE show up more than you'd expect — keep them in mind.

Letter Tips That Really Help

E is the most common letter in English, so it's worth guessing early.
Words ending in S are usually plurals.
Blanks ("___") in a clue mean the answer fits exactly into those spaces.
An abbreviation in the clue is a signal the answer's abbreviated too.

Time Goals to Aim For

Your Time	Skill Level	What It Means
Under 30 seconds	Expert	You've clearly got the puzzle's patterns down.
30-60 seconds	Advanced	Solid pace — you're solving quickly.
1-2 minutes	Good	Right where most regular solvers land.
Over 2 minutes	Learning	Totally fine — speed comes with reps.

Puzzle Numbers and Facts

Today's Puzzle by the Numbers
Total Clues:	20
Grid Size:	5 boxes across, 5 boxes down
Total Squares:	25
Average Time:	1 minute 10 seconds
Difficulty:	Normal

Common Questions About Trivia Week 3

When does the Trivia Week 3 Mini go live?

Typically drops the evening before, around 10 PM ET.

How long should Trivia Week 3 take me?

Anywhere from 30 seconds to a couple of minutes is typical. Don't stress if you're on the slower end at first.

Is Trivia Week 3 free to play?

Nope, it's free — no subscription needed like the full-size crossword.

What actually makes someone good at Trivia Week 3?

Knowing the common short words, spotting wordplay quickly, and reading crossing letters well — that combination gets you most of the way there.

Does Trivia Week 3 get harder as the week goes on?

Difficulty shifts through the week; expect Monday to be gentle and Saturday to bite a bit more.

Search Clues

Sunday, October 18, 2026

NYT Mini Crossword Trivia Week 3 October 18, 2026 - Daily Answers

About Today's Puzzle

Today's Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout

How to Solve This One Fast

Quick Facts

Across Clues - 10 Total

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

1 Across: "94. Figure, informally"

2 Across: "28. Softens with sudden sympathy or affection"

3 Across: "72. Bond"

4 Across: "44. View spoiler"

5 Across: "84. Brand represented by Happy the Oil Drop"

6 Across: "78. Tree that can be a source of water for thirsty elephants"

7 Across: "120. Analogue of a delete key"

8 Across: "32. "What""

9 Across: "76. Apt name for a thief"

10 Across: "75. Small + or –"

Down Clues - 10 Total

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

1 Down: "87. Ousted, democratically"

2 Down: "35. Weak, as an excuse"

3 Down: "7. Novel form of summer escapism?"

4 Down: "47. Like Amazon forests, typically"

5 Down: "36. "Ibis" poet"

6 Down: "74. Big bang source"

7 Down: "77. Like London's Kew Gardens"

8 Down: "42. Gawker"

9 Down: "1. Short cut"

10 Down: "62. John M. ___, director of 2024's "Wicked""

How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster

Step-by-Step Strategy

Letter Tips That Really Help

Time Goals to Aim For

Puzzle Numbers and Facts

More Puzzle Help

Common Questions About Trivia Week 3

When does the Trivia Week 3 Mini go live?

How long should Trivia Week 3 take me?

Is Trivia Week 3 free to play?

What actually makes someone good at Trivia Week 3?

Does Trivia Week 3 get harder as the week goes on?

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