How to solve today’s Mini crossword.
Credit: NYT
Another Monday, another NYT Mini Crossword to solve. Of course, it’s not Monday yet, but the Monday Mini Crossword and the main Crossword both go live on Sunday afternoon. That’s also the case for the Sunday Crossword puzzles, which go live on Saturday afternoon (or evening, depending on your timezone). The rest of the week they go live in the evening. I guess this is just a vestige of the whole Monday – Friday, 9 to 5 work week. In any case, if you’re looking for some clues or the answers to today’s Mini Crossword, I have them below.
Looking for Sunday’s NYT Mini Crossword? Here are some hints and answers.
The NYT Mini is a smaller, quicker, more digestible, bite-sized version of the larger and more challenging NYT Crossword. While it used to be free, in August the Mini was placed behind the NYT Games App paywall. This has led to a noticeable decline in people playing the game, unfortunately. You can check out all of the NYT Games, free and paid, right here.
A Mini Crossword is typically just 10 to 20 clues, with only Saturday’s puzzle on the upper end of that spread. Here’s what a basic NYT Mini looks like:
The NYT Mini Crossword
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Follow the clues and come up with as many words as possible, and then use the letters from those words to fill in the remaining words you were unsure about. A good rule of thumb is to skip ahead whenever you don’t know something and come back to the clue later. Of course, if you still need help at that point, read on below for hints and answers.
The best way to play the NYT Mini Crossword is to try to beat your previous speed or play competitively with a friend and see who can fill out their Mini the fastest. This is not a long, laborious task like the normal NYT Crossword. It’s a game of speed and agile thinking.
Spoilers ahead!
How To Solve Today’s NYT Mini Crossword
Before we get to the answers, here’s the first letter for each word in today’s Mini.
Across
1A. Sound from a mouse — C
6A. Many-headed serpent killed by Hercules — H
7A. View from a cruise ship window — O
8A. “See ya later!” — P
9A. Animal whose antlers can grow up to an inch per day — E
Down
1D. Dice, e.g. — C
2D. French for “high school” — L
3D. 10 out of 10 — I
4D. Sound from a bat — C
5D. “Citizen ___” — K
Today’s Mini Crossword Answers
Okay, onto the answers! Remember, spoilers ahead!
Across
1A. Sound from a mouse — CLICK
6A. Many-headed serpent killed by Hercules — HYDRA
7A. View from a cruise ship window — OCEAN
8A. “See ya later!” — PEACE
9A. Animal whose antlers can grow up to an inch per day — ELK
Down
1D. Dice, e.g. — CHOP
2D. French for “high school” — LYCEE
3D. 10 out of 10 — IDEAL
4D. Sound from a bat — CRACK
5D. “Citizen ___” — KANE
Here are the filled in answers:
Today’s Mini Crossword
Screenshot: Erik Kain
I got this one pretty fast today—45 seconds!—mostly because I wasn’t fooled by 1-Across into thinking they meant a creature. When I think mouse, I think CLICK. I also know my mythology, so HYDRA was a piece of cake (though Hercules might have a different opinion). Everything else came pretty easily except PEACE, which is fitting enough, I suppose.
How did you do? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.
If you also play Wordle, I write guides about that as well. You can find those and all my TV guides, reviews and much more here on my blog. Thanks for reading!
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2025/10/19/nyt-mini-crossword-clues-and-answers-for-monday-october-20/
