NYT Mini Puzzle Trivia Week 4 August 29, 2026 - Solved
Today's Mini has 20 clues to get through. Hints and answers for all of them are below.
Popular Puzzles: September 24 2020 NYT Clues Solutions | September 06 2021 NYT Clues Solutions | Xwordhint Crossword Answers September_23 |
About Today's Puzzle
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Date | August 29, 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 4 NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout
It's a 5 by 5 grid today — five boxes across, five 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 One Fast
- Read through all the clues before filling in a single square.
- Start with anything three letters or shorter.
- Crossing letters are your best friend for the trickier answers.
- Question mark clues (?) almost always mean wordplay, not a literal answer.
- Watch for the usual suspects: THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT.
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.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Across | 14. Skin-care brand known for its pore strips |
| 2 Across | 20. Work, as a joke |
| 3 Across | 47. "It is not easy for a ___ to balance himself on a ladder": "Animal Farm" |
| 4 Across | 49. Relative of house music |
| 5 Across | 37. Court session, perhaps |
| 6 Across | 1. Main characters for an early reader |
| 7 Across | 23. His #33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003 |
| 8 Across | 51. Inverse of an exponential function |
| 9 Across | 58. Come off as |
| 10 Across | 42. Put your back into it |
Hints and Answers for Across Clues
Stuck on one? Hints and answers for each clue are below. A few other guides worth a look:
- Todays 55 NYT Mini December 23 2025
- Mini Crossword NYT November 14 2025
- May 21 2020 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Across: "14. Skin-care brand known for its pore strips"
Hints:
- Count on 5 letters here.
- Kicks off with 'B' and wraps up with 'E'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
BIORE2 Across: "20. Work, as a joke"
Hints:
- Close enough in meaning: bring.
- Basically, the land on which real estate is located.
- If that helps, the shape is: L__D
Answer:
Click to reveal
LAND3 Across: "47. "It is not easy for a ___ to balance himself on a ladder": "Animal Farm""
Hints:
- This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
- Basically, domestic swine.
- 'cop' points in the same direction.
Answer:
Click to reveal
PIG4 Across: "49. Relative of house music"
Hints:
- Kicks off with 'T' and wraps up with 'O'.
- Count on 6 letters here.
Answer:
Click to reveal
TECHNO5 Across: "37. Court session, perhaps"
Hints:
- Pattern-wise it looks like: T__________N
- You're looking for 12 letters.
- First letter's a 'T', last letter's a 'N'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
TENNISLESSON6 Across: "1. Main characters for an early reader"
Hints:
- It's a 4-letter word.
- Blank it out and you get: A__S
- First letter's a 'A', last letter's a 'S'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
ABCS7 Across: "23. His #33 was retired by the Knicks in 2003"
Hints:
- It's a 5-letter word.
- Kicks off with 'E' and wraps up with 'G'.
- If that helps, the shape is: E___G
Answer:
Click to reveal
EWING8 Across: "51. Inverse of an exponential function"
Hints:
- If that helps, the shape is: L_______M
- Starts with 'L', ends with 'M'.
- 'log' points in the same direction.
Answer:
Click to reveal
LOGARITHM9 Across: "58. Come off as"
Hints:
- Close enough in meaning: look.
- This one runs 4 letters long.
- This is more of an abbreviation than a regular word.
Answer:
Click to reveal
SEEM10 Across: "42. Put your back into it"
Hints:
- This one runs 3 letters long.
- Kicks off with 'T' and wraps up with 'Y'.
- Short form / acronym territory here.
Answer:
Click to reveal
TRYDown Clues - 10 Total
These run top to bottom in the grid.
| Number | Clue |
|---|---|
| 1 Down | 24. August ___, "Fences" playwright |
| 2 Down | 9. ___ legs |
| 3 Down | 19. Stocked and sold, as goods |
| 4 Down | 1. Nonhuman provider of medical advice |
| 5 Down | 45. Shockingly unconventional |
| 6 Down | 25. Makes sense of |
| 7 Down | 36. "Wow ... what are the chances?!" |
| 8 Down | 13. Green day star, for short |
| 9 Down | 6. Breaking character? |
| 10 Down | 46. Stepped-on instrument |
Hints and Answers for Down Clues
Same deal here — hints then answers. You might also like:
- Mini Crossword NYT November 14 2025
- Todays 55 NYT Mini December 23 2025
- September 24 2019 NYT Clues Solutions
1 Down: "24. August ___, "Fences" playwright"
Hints:
- Starts with 'W', ends with 'N'.
- If that helps, the shape is: W____N
- This one runs 6 letters long.
Answer:
Click to reveal
WILSON2 Down: "9. ___ legs"
Hints:
- Short form / acronym territory here.
- 'hinder' points in the same direction.
- First letter's a 'H', last letter's a 'D'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
HIND3 Down: "19. Stocked and sold, as goods"
Hints:
- Kicks off with 'D' and wraps up with 'N'.
- Pattern-wise it looks like: D_____N
- It's a 7-letter word.
Answer:
Click to reveal
DEALTIN4 Down: "1. Nonhuman provider of medical advice"
Hints:
- Starts with 'A', ends with 'R'.
- It's a 8-letter word.
Answer:
Click to reveal
AIDOCTOR5 Down: "45. Shockingly unconventional"
Hints:
- First letter's a 'O', last letter's a 'E'.
- Close enough in meaning: freaky.
- Count on 5 letters here.
Answer:
Click to reveal
OUTRE6 Down: "25. Makes sense of"
Hints:
- Count on 6 letters here.
- Pattern-wise it looks like: P____S
- Starts with 'P', ends with 'S'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
PARSES7 Down: "36. "Wow ... what are the chances?!""
Hints:
- Pattern-wise it looks like: S______M
- This one runs 8 letters long.
- Kicks off with 'S' and wraps up with 'M'.
Answer:
Click to reveal
SORANDOM8 Down: "13. Green day star, for short"
Hints:
- Starts with 'S', ends with 'T'.
- You're looking for 5 letters.
Answer:
Click to reveal
STPAT9 Down: "6. Breaking character?"
Hints:
- First letter's a 'B', last letter's a 'P'.
- Count on 16 letters here.
Answer:
Click to reveal
BULLINACHINASHOP10 Down: "46. Stepped-on instrument"
Hints:
- Starts with 'S', ends with 'E'.
- Count on 5 letters here.
- Close enough in meaning: shell.
Answer:
Click to reveal
SCALEHow 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
- Read it all first: Go through every clue once before writing anything down — it primes your brain even on the ones you skip.
- Grab the short ones: Two and three letter answers (things like "IT" or "ON") are usually the easiest place to start.
- Use the crossings: Once a couple of words are in, the crossing letters do a lot of the work for you on the harder ones.
- Watch for question marks: A "?" at the end of a clue almost always signals a pun rather than a literal answer.
- Keep the regulars in mind: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE — these turn up often enough that it's worth remembering them.
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
| Total Clues: | 20 |
| Grid Size: | 5 boxes across, 5 boxes down |
| Total Squares: | 25 |
| Average Time: | 1 minute 10 seconds |
| Difficulty: | A bit tricky |
Common Questions About Trivia Week 4
When does the Trivia Week 4 Mini go live?
It usually goes live around 10 PM Eastern the night before.
How long should Trivia Week 4 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 4 free to play?
Nope, it's free — no subscription needed like the full-size crossword.
What actually makes someone good at Trivia Week 4?
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 4 get harder as the week goes on?
It varies day to day — Saturdays tend to be the toughest, Mondays the easiest.
