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Scrabble letter tiles A and C with a crossword puzzle tile and yellow pencil on a light background for NYT Mini Crossword.

NYT Mini Crossword Hints And Answers For 17-September-2025

The New York Times Mini Crossword may be small, but it’s designed to catch you off guard.

Unlike its full-sized cousin, the Mini forces you to think quickly. It packs a sharp mental workout into a compact 5×5 grid, ideal for short breaks.

A tiny puzzle doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

When you’re stuck on a clue, our daily hints and answers will help keep the momentum going.

Where to Play

You can play the Mini Crossword on the New York Times website, the NYT Games app, or within the Play tab of the main News app.

Past puzzles are available to Games and All Access subscribers.

When the Puzzle Drops

Weekdays + Saturdays: Available at 10 p.m. EST the night before.
Sundays: Drops earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.

How It Works

Fill the grid by solving Across and Down clues. You’ll know you’ve solved it correctly when music plays and a congratulatory message appears.

There’s no streak feature like Wordle, but you can track your solve time and compete with friends on the Mini leaderboard.

Game Features and Shortcuts

Timer: See how quickly you can complete the puzzle.
Reveal and Check tools: If you’re stuck, reveal a letter, word, or check your answers.
Keyboard shortcuts: Use arrow keys, spacebar, tab, and more (on desktop).
Pen and Pencil Mode: Toggle between confident solves and tentative guesses.

Across

Middling

The answer is SOSO

Attractive, muscular guy

The answer is HUNK

1/23/45 and 6/7/89

The answer is DATES

Big name in flat-pack furniture

The answer is IKEA

Job benefit

The answer is PERK

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Down

Ice cream drink

The answer is SHAKE

Word with space or Banks

The answer is OUTER

Quarterback running play

The answer is SNEAK

Signs off on

The answer is OKS

Buy the ___ (investing strategy)

The answer is DIP

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See Also

Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.

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Bored Panda is an independent digital publisher sharing highlights from internet culture, entertainment, and everyday life with readers around the world. Our goal is to bring you engaging, trustworthy, and helpful content. We fact-check information using primary sources, such as official statements, public records, and interviews, or use reliable secondary sources. Editors review every story for accuracy and clarity before publishing. If we spot a mistake or learn something new, we’ll update it promptly. When you see “Editorial Staff,” it means our team collaborated to curate stories, roundups, and explainers based on verified information. Original stories and features are credited to individual writers. We select editorial images from agencies, official press materials, or use Creative Commons images with clear credit, so you can trust their source. For tips, corrections, or questions, please send an email to editorial@boredpanda.com or use our contact form.

Bored Panda is an independent digital publisher sharing highlights from internet culture, entertainment, and everyday life with readers around the world. Our goal is to bring you engaging, trustworthy, and helpful content. We fact-check information using primary sources, such as official statements, public records, and interviews, or use reliable secondary sources. Editors review every story for accuracy and clarity before publishing. If we spot a mistake or learn something new, we’ll update it promptly. When you see “Editorial Staff,” it means our team collaborated to curate stories, roundups, and explainers based on verified information. Original stories and features are credited to individual writers. We select editorial images from agencies, official press materials, or use Creative Commons images with clear credit, so you can trust their source. For tips, corrections, or questions, please send an email to editorial@boredpanda.com or use our contact form.

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