Jump To Section About Today's Puzzle NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Sunday, December 21, 2025 Puzzle Statistics Detail Information Date December 21, 2025 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 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 30. Rap's Run-___ 2 Across 27. Wrangler alternative 3 Across 46. Fraudulently make seem like 4 Across 89. Sci-fi miniaturizer 5 Across 118. Few and far between 6 Across 58. A bit off, say 7 Across 20. Game piece made of four squares 8 Across 123. "What's done is done!" 9 Across 82. Wrap seller 10 Across 64. Dark side
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: "30. Rap's Run-___" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'C' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal DMC
2 Across: "27. Wrangler alternative" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'L' and ends with 'E' Another word like this: leeward Answer: Click to reveal LEE
3 Across: "46. Fraudulently make seem like" Helpful hints:
This word has 9 letters It starts with 'P' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: P_______S Answer: Click to reveal PALMOFFAS
4 Across: "89. Sci-fi miniaturizer" Helpful hints:
This word has 9 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: S_______Y Answer: Click to reveal SHRINKRAY
5 Across: "118. Few and far between" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: R__E Answer: Click to reveal RARE
6 Across: "58. A bit off, say" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'O' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: O____E Answer: Click to reveal ONSALE
7 Across: "20. Game piece made of four squares" Helpful hints:
This word has 9 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: T_______O Answer: Click to reveal TETROMINO
8 Across: "123. "What's done is done!"" Helpful hints:
This word has 9 letters It starts with 'G' and ends with 'T' Word pattern: G_______T Answer: Click to reveal GETOVERIT
9 Across: "82. Wrap seller" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'I' Word pattern: D__I Answer: Click to reveal DELI
10 Across: "64. Dark side" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'N' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal YIN
Down Clues - 10 Total These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
Down Clues List Number Clue 1 Down 1. Make furious 2 Down 50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters 3 Down 73. Just getting started with 4 Down 13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments 5 Down 86. Calmed deceptively 6 Down 41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design 7 Down 39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd 8 Down 103. "Ta-ta!" 9 Down 104. Tricky pool shot 10 Down 106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park
Hints and Answers for Down Clues Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
1 Down: "1. Make furious" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'M' Word pattern: S___M Answer: Click to reveal STEAM
2 Down: "50. Woman's nickname that sounds like two letters" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'E' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: E__E Answer: Click to reveal EVIE
3 Down: "73. Just getting started with" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'N' and ends with 'T' Word pattern: N___T Answer: Click to reveal NEWAT
4 Down: "13. Iced-tea-and-lemonade refreshments" Helpful hints:
This word has 13 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: A___________S Answer: Click to reveal ARNOLDPALMERS
5 Down: "86. Calmed deceptively" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'L' and ends with 'D' Word pattern: L____D Answer: Click to reveal LULLED
6 Down: "41. Shoe company with an iconic checkerboard design" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'V' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: V__S Answer: Click to reveal VANS
7 Down: "39. 2015 chart-topping hit for the Weeknd" Helpful hints:
This word has 14 letters It starts with 'C' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: C____________E Answer: Click to reveal CANTFEELMYFACE
8 Down: "103. "Ta-ta!"" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: S___A Answer: Click to reveal SEEYA
9 Down: "104. Tricky pool shot" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'M' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: M___E Answer: Click to reveal MASSE
10 Down: "106. Someone enjoying a walk in the park" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'H' and ends with 'R' Word pattern: H___R Answer: Click to reveal HIKER
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: Normal
More Puzzle Help If you like the NYT Mini, you might enjoy these other puzzles too:
Recent Crossword Solutions: Common Questions About NYT Mini Crossword When can I play the NYT Mini? The puzzle comes out at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before. So you can play Monday's puzzle starting Sunday at 10 PM.
How fast should I be able to solve it? Most people solve the 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? No! The NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.
What makes a good Mini solver? Good Mini solvers know common short words, can spot wordplay quickly, and use crossing letters well. Practice helps a lot!
Are the puzzles harder on certain days? Unlike the big NYT crossword, the Mini stays about the same difficulty every day. Sometimes Saturday might be a tiny bit harder.
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: December 21, 2025 at 04:22 AM
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