Jump To Section About Today's Puzzle NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Sunday, January 18, 2026 Puzzle Statistics Detail Information Date January 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 {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 85. Quarrels 2 Across 27. Make a choice 3 Across 31. Text that says "Congratulations! You've won a MacBook Pro," probably 4 Across 110. "Roger that!" 5 Across 19. Total 6 Across 108. Oodles 7 Across 86. Itty-bitty 8 Across 87. Japanese craft that literally translates to "tray planting" 9 Across 76. Wii remote batteries 10 Across 33. Prepare for a mechanic's certification exam?
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: "85. Quarrels" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: S___S Answer: Click to reveal SPATS
2 Across: "27. Make a choice" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'O' and ends with 'T' Another word like this: choose Answer: Click to reveal OPT
3 Across: "31. Text that says "Congratulations! You've won a MacBook Pro," probably" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'M' Word pattern: S__M Answer: Click to reveal SCAM
4 Across: "110. "Roger that!"" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'P' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal YEP
5 Across: "19. Total" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'E' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: E____E Answer: Click to reveal ENTIRE
6 Across: "108. Oodles" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'G' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: G__S Answer: Click to reveal GOBS
7 Across: "86. Itty-bitty" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'W' and ends with 'E' Another word like this: piddle Answer: Click to reveal WEE
8 Across: "87. Japanese craft that literally translates to "tray planting"" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'B' and ends with 'I' Word pattern: B____I Answer: Click to reveal BONSAI
9 Across: "76. Wii remote batteries" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S' Another word like this: AA Answer: Click to reveal AAS
10 Across: "33. Prepare for a mechanic's certification exam?" Helpful hints:
This word has 15 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: R_____________E Answer: Click to reveal REVIEWTHEENGINE
Down Clues - 10 Total These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
Down Clues List Number Clue 1 Down 121. Leave speechless 2 Down 56. "In that case ..." 3 Down 83. Bête ___ 4 Down 6. Bad thing not to get (especially at the office?) 5 Down 36. What a bad student might play 6 Down 47. Part of a bedtime routine 7 Down 93. Candies that crack with a crunch 8 Down 80. Padmé Amidala's home planet in "Star Wars" 9 Down 90. Trees with heart-shaped leaves 10 Down 101. Prettifies
Hints and Answers for Down Clues Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
1 Down: "121. Leave speechless" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E' Another word like this: fear Answer: Click to reveal AWE
2 Down: "56. "In that case ..."" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'I' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: I__O Answer: Click to reveal IFSO
3 Down: "83. Bête ___" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'N' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: N___E Answer: Click to reveal NOIRE
4 Down: "6. Bad thing not to get (especially at the office?)" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'M' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: M__O Answer: Click to reveal MEMO
5 Down: "36. What a bad student might play" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'H' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: H___Y Answer: Click to reveal HOOKY
6 Down: "47. Part of a bedtime routine" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: S___Y Answer: Click to reveal STORY
7 Down: "93. Candies that crack with a crunch" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: T_____S Answer: Click to reveal TOFFEES
8 Down: "80. Padmé Amidala's home planet in "Star Wars"" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'N' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: N___O Answer: Click to reveal NABOO
9 Down: "90. Trees with heart-shaped leaves" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: R_____S Answer: Click to reveal REDBUDS
10 Down: "101. Prettifies" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: A____S Answer: Click to reveal ADORNS
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
More Puzzle Help If you like the NYT Mini, you might enjoy these other puzzles too:
Recent Crossword Solutions: 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.
About This Page: We provide hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword to help you learn and improve. This site is not connected to The New York Times.
Last Updated: January 18, 2026 at 04:29 AM
Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, January 18 2026 mini crossword
