Yesterday's NYT Mini Crossword Answers
Stuck on puzzle #24,476? Take a hint at a time, or drop straight to the filled grid. Nothing spoils until you tap.
Hints, one at a time
Welcome back, puzzler. The Mini Crossword for Monday, August 31, 2026 is live: a 5x5 grid with 10 clues to fill in, 5 Across and 5 Down.
Here's how this page works: the five hints below hand you opening letters before handing you whole answers, so reveal them one at a time and stop the moment the crossings take over. All ten answers sit in the green box further down, locked behind a tap. Nothing here reveals itself on its own, not a starting letter and not a filled answer.
Opening letters first, whole answers last. Stop when the crossings take over.
Drumroll, please…
NYT Mini Crossword Answers for August 31
Spoiler below · tap an answer to revealAcross
Spider ___
Quaint term for a boyfriend, from the French
Crocodile ___
___ bird
___ wolf
Down
Feeling tired and worn out
British noble title
___ bee
Panda ___
Detective, in old shorthand
Tap an answer to reveal it, or show the whole grid at once.
About yesterday's grid #24,476
10 answers in total: 5 Across and 5 Down.
The longest answer runs 5 letters; the shortest run 3 letters (3 of them).
E is today's most common letter, appearing 4 times across the grid.
Puzzle #24,476, published Monday, August 31, 2026, edited by and built by Joel Fagliano.
Mini Crossword strategy that actually helps
Proven habits from top solvers, useful today and every day.
There are only ten, and reading them takes seconds. One gift clue in a grid this small usually resolves half the board.
On a 5x5 nothing is isolated. Each letter you place is checked by a second clue immediately, so a confident answer verifies itself.
A "?" at the end of a Mini clue almost always signals a pun. On five squares, spotting one saves more time than solving three straight clues.
Unsure of a letter? Solve its crossing instead, and the letter arrives without you having to commit to a guess.
Clues like "Dr.'s org." or "Suffix with ___" point to short, common abbreviations rather than full words.
The longest answer usually needs the most crossing letters, so it's often the last one to click.
How to play NYT Mini Crossword
The rules in full, for anyone arriving without them.
The Mini is The New York Times crossword in miniature, a five by five grid that most solvers finish in under a minute. It is free to play and uses the same clue style as the full crossword, just with far shorter answers.
- 1 Start with the fill-in-the-blank clues
Blanks are the least ambiguous clues on any grid. They give you crossing letters for free.
- 2 Let Across and Down check each other
Every square belongs to two answers. If a letter makes one word work and the other impossible, the answer you are surer of wins.
- 3 Watch the clue for tense and number
A plural clue wants a plural answer, and a past-tense clue usually ends in ED. Those endings are often the letters that unlock a crossing word.
- 4 Fill every square
The Mini has no mistake limit and no penalty for guessing. The timer stops when the last correct letter goes in.
The New York Times, edited by Joel Fagliano
Usually 5 by 5, larger on Saturdays
No limit, but the clock is running
Around 10pm Eastern the night before
A question mark at the end of a clue is a promise that the answer is a pun rather than a definition. On a grid this small, spotting one question mark often saves more time than solving three straight clues.
NYT Mini Crossword, answered
Quick answers to the questions we get every day.
What time does the new Mini Crossword come out?
The Mini resets at midnight in your local timezone, wherever you are. The Mini actually posts the evening before, so a fresh grid is usually waiting before midnight arrives.
How is the Mini different from the full NYT Crossword?
The Mini is built on a small grid, usually 5x5, with far fewer clues than the full daily crossword. Same editorial team, same clue conventions, just a puzzle you can finish in a couple of minutes.
Why do some Minis feel harder than others?
Like the full crossword, difficulty tends to ramp up through the week: puzzles early in the week lean on straightforward definitions, while later ones lean more on wordplay and less common phrasing.
Can I play past Mini Crossword puzzles?
Yes, if you're an NYT Games subscriber, the app and site keep an archive of past Minis. This page focuses on the two most recent puzzles: today's and yesterday's.
Does the Mini count toward my crossword streak?
The Mini keeps its own streak, tracked separately from the daily Crossword. Solving the Mini will not protect a Crossword streak and vice versa. The Mini is also free, so its streak is the one most solvers actually keep alive.
Today's hints for every game
Same spoiler-safe format, for each daily puzzle we cover.
Past Mini Crossword answers
The longest answer from each recent Mini, organized by month. On a grid this small the longest entry is often the only one anybody remembers. Today's stays blurred until you tap it.
| Date | Puzzle | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 01Today | #24,477 | BUYIN |
| Aug 31 | #24,476 | TEARS |
| Aug 30 | #24,403 | IVIED |
| Aug 28 | #24,408 | DROOL |
| Aug 27 | #24,452 | IMOFF |
| Aug 26 | #24,413 | DONUT |
| Aug 25 | #24,431 | FEDEX |
| Aug 24 | #24,402 | TIGER |
| Aug 23 | #24,329 | MASON |
| Aug 21 | #24,405 | SCALY |
| Aug 20 | #24,415 | LINUS |
| Aug 19 | #24,268 | BRINE |
| Aug 18 | #24,412 | SPOON |
| Aug 17 | #24,363 | SQUAT |
| Aug 16 | #24,409 | BRAVO |
| Aug 14 | #24,327 | MONEY |
| Aug 13 | #24,396 | LANAI |
| Aug 12 | #24,391 | HORSE |
| Aug 11 | #23,963 | BEANS |
| Aug 10 | #24,389 | HOWTO |
| Aug 09 | #24,364 | SMUSH |
| Aug 07 | #24,382 | COLOR |
| Aug 06 | #24,293 | WROTE |
| Aug 05 | #24,335 | WHERE |
| Aug 04 | #24,359 | GRIND |
| Aug 03 | #24,358 | SLEEP |
| Aug 02 | #24,338 | SCIFI |
| Jul 31 | #24,271 | LEVEL |
| Jul 30 | #24,340 | CRUNK |
| Jul 29 | #24,356 | BOOKS |
| Jul 28 | #24,334 | BRAVO |
| Jul 27 | #24,333 | LEMON |
| Jul 26 | #24,330 | GEESE |
| Jul 24 | #24,328 | SHELL |
| Jul 23 | #24,087 | BANJO |
| Jul 22 | #24,272 | DANDY |
| Jul 21 | #23,962 | SIKHS |
| Jul 20 | #24,326 | SONAR |
| Jul 19 | #24,292 | RHYME |
| Jul 17 | #24,291 | JUICE |
| Jul 13 | #24,256 | TEXAS |
| Jul 06 | #24,203 | APRIL |
| Jul 05 | #24,247 | STICK |
| Jul 03 | #24,245 | AWORD |
| Jul 02 | #24,214 | CANALS |
| Jul 01 | #24,244 | THEUN |
| Jun 30 | #24,207 | WAGYU |
| Jun 29 | #24,243 | AGAIN |
| Jun 28 | #24,217 | BEACH |
| Jun 26 | #24,208 | WATCH |
| Jun 25 | #24,204 | FIRST |
| Jun 24 | #24,248 | SCORE |
| Jun 23 | #24,202 | CORAL |
| Jun 22 | #24,209 | CHEWY |
| Jun 21 | #24,182 | DAIRY |
| Jun 19 | #23,995 | VIRAL |
| Jun 18 | #24,179 | ALONE |
| Jun 17 | #24,141 | QUIPS |
| Jun 16 | #24,156 | MASON |
| Jun 15 | #24,157 | CARTEL |
| Jun 14 | #24,155 | SMALL |
| Jun 12 | #24,089 | EVERY |
| Jun 11 | #24,154 | FUNNY |
| Jun 10 | #23,992 | GLASS |
| Jun 09 | #23,937 | RULES |
| Jun 08 | #23,975 | DREAM |
| Jun 07 | #24,153 | INPJS |
| Jun 05 | #23,807 | CRISP |
| Jun 04 | #24,125 | SLOTH |
| Jun 03 | #23,974 | PAPER |
| Jun 02 | #23,938 | SAYNO |
| Jun 01 | #24,005 | CHARM |
| May 31 | #24,099 | CUFFS |
| May 29 | #23,961 | OCEAN |
| May 28 | #23,976 | PANKO |
| May 27 | #24,088 | WHALE |
| May 26 | #24,082 | DROPS |
| May 25 | #24,086 | GUESS |
| May 24 | #24,084 | ABBOT |
| May 22 | #24,060 | CRANE |
| May 21 | #24,043 | TWAIN |
| May 20 | #24,003 | CYNIC |
| May 19 | #23,923 | DAILY |
| May 18 | #24,041 | CHILE |
| May 17 | #24,039 | COAST |
| May 15 | #24,040 | ALOHA |
| May 14 | #24,038 | WATER |
| May 13 | #24,004 | OSCAR |
| May 12 | #24,001 | KIOSK |
| May 11 | #23,871 | BRAVO |
| Dec 22 | #23,407 | CAROL |
| Dec 21 | #23,411 | ALLOW |
| Dec 19 | #23,379 | BLUFF |
| Dec 18 | #23,480 | DRAFTS |
| Dec 17 | #23,190 | UBOAT |
| Dec 16 | #23,477 | BANKS |
| Dec 15 | #23,475 | NOTED |
| Dec 14 | #23,417 | VIOLA |
| Dec 12 | #23,454 | MUTTS |
| Dec 11 | #23,413 | SMOCK |