Jump To Section About Today's Puzzle NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Thursday, January 15, 2026 Puzzle Statistics Detail Information Date January 15, 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 38. Nobelist Joliot-Curie who synthesized radioactive isotopes 2 Across 53. Just peachy 3 Across 69. Rib 4 Across 67. "Sorry ... hard pass" 5 Across 16. One of five ... or maybe six? 6 Across 22. Part of L.G.B.T.Q. 7 Across 35. Jan. 1 through today 8 Across 70. Quinceañera celebrant, e.g. 9 Across 42. Bases of shipbuilding 10 Across 36. Oodles of time
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: "38. Nobelist Joliot-Curie who synthesized radioactive isotopes" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'I' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: I___E Answer: Click to reveal IRENE
2 Across: "53. Just peachy" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'K' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal AOK
3 Across: "69. Rib" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: T___E Answer: Click to reveal TEASE
4 Across: "67. "Sorry ... hard pass"" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'U' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: U__O Answer: Click to reveal UMNO
5 Across: "16. One of five ... or maybe six?" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: S___E Answer: Click to reveal SENSE
6 Across: "22. Part of L.G.B.T.Q." Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'G' and ends with 'Y' Another word like this: festal Answer: Click to reveal GAY
7 Across: "35. Jan. 1 through today" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'D' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal YTD
8 Across: "70. Quinceañera celebrant, e.g." Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'N' Word pattern: T__N Answer: Click to reveal TEEN
9 Across: "42. Bases of shipbuilding" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'K' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: K___S Answer: Click to reveal KEELS
10 Across: "36. Oodles of time" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: E__S Answer: Click to reveal EONS
Down Clues - 10 Total These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
Down Clues List Number Clue 1 Down 13. Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation 2 Down 41. Star quality 3 Down 59. "At Last" singer James 4 Down 11. Results of feuds 5 Down 29. Unit of force 6 Down 5. W-9 fig. 7 Down 33. Show that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, in brief 8 Down 48. Bulldog supporters 9 Down 39. 5.5 yards 10 Down 20. Created Yoda, he did
Hints and Answers for Down Clues Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
1 Down: "13. Actor John who has granted more than 650 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'C' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: C__A Answer: Click to reveal CENA
2 Down: "41. Star quality" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'F' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: F__E Answer: Click to reveal FAME
3 Down: "59. "At Last" singer James" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'E' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: E__A Answer: Click to reveal ETTA
4 Down: "11. Results of feuds" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: R___S Answer: Click to reveal RIFTS
5 Down: "29. Unit of force" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: D__E Answer: Click to reveal DYNE
6 Down: "5. W-9 fig." Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'N' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal SSN
7 Down: "33. Show that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, in brief" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'L' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal SNL
8 Down: "48. Bulldog supporters" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: Y____S Answer: Click to reveal YALIES
9 Down: "39. 5.5 yards" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'D' Another word like this: pole Answer: Click to reveal ROD
10 Down: "20. Created Yoda, he did" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'L' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: L___S Answer: Click to reveal LUCAS
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 58 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 15, 2026 at 04:27 AM
Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, January 15 2026 mini crossword
