Today's NYT Mini Crossword is live, and Friday's grid brings a 6x6 challenge with visual puzzles and pop culture nods. Whether you're racing the clock or just enjoying a quick brain break, we've got hints and answers to keep you moving.
How The Mini Works
The Mini is a compact version of the classic NYT Crossword, typically featuring a 5x5 grid with five Across and five Down clues. Saturdays expand to a larger grid with more clues. Solve the intersecting words, and when the grid is complete, you'll hear a satisfying chime. No streak tracking here, but the built-in timer lets you compete against yourself or challenge friends.
New puzzles drop at 10 p.m. EST on weekdays and Saturdays. Sunday's Mini arrives earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Quick Scan
In a rush? Here's the at-a-glance breakdown for today's puzzle:
Grid Size: 6x6
Total Clues: 12 (6 Across, 6 Down)
Trickiest Clue: 6D - "Agcy. at the center of a 2026 government shutdown"
Gimme Clue: 5D - "Amenity in a Florida backyard, perhaps"
Theme Spotted: Visual wordplay puzzles (8A and 3D)
Clue Decoder (Hints Only)
Need a nudge without the full answer? Here's a hint for each clue.
Across Hints
1A. "___, queen!"
Hint: Slangy affirmation, three letters, starts with Y
4A. Waiter's handout
Hint: Restaurant list of dishes, four letters
5A. Tiny invertebrate that, when grouped in the thousands, makes up a coral
Hint: Coral-building organism, five letters, starts with P
6A. Scoop of sour cream
Hint: Small serving amount, six letters, starts with D
7A. Spicy wing, as seen on a popular YouTube talk show
Hint: YouTube show with hot chicken wings, six letters, two words combined
8A. Comparative suggested by this visual puzzle: PQRsTUV
Hint: Look at the letter pattern - what's happening between PQR and TUV?
Down Hints
1D. Like SpongeBob and Spirit airplanes
Hint: Color, six letters
2D. "Bueller …? Bueller …?"
Hint: Ferris Bueller's teacher's question, six letters
3D. Meal suggested by this visual puzzle: PQR$TUV
Hint: Look at the dollar sign placement - what meal rhymes with "upper"?
4D. "___ bene" (Italian for "very good")
Hint: Italian adverb meaning "very", five letters
5D. Amenity in a Florida backyard, perhaps
Hint: Water feature, four letters
6D. Agcy. at the center of a 2026 government shutdown
Hint: Government department abbreviation, three letters
Full Answers
Spoilers below. Scroll only when you're ready for the solutions.
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Across Answers
1A. "___, queen!"
Answer: YAS
4A. Waiter's handout
Answer: MENU
5A. Tiny invertebrate that, when grouped in the thousands, makes up a coral
Answer: POLYP
6A. Scoop of sour cream
Answer: DOLLOP
7A. Spicy wing, as seen on a popular YouTube talk show
Answer: HOTONE
8A. Comparative suggested by this visual puzzle: PQRsTUV
Answer: SLOWER
Down Answers
1D. Like SpongeBob and Spirit airplanes
Answer: YELLOW
2D. "Bueller …? Bueller …?"
Answer: ANYONE
3D. Meal suggested by this visual puzzle: PQR$TUV
Answer: SUPPER
4D. "___ bene" (Italian for "very good")
Answer: MOLTO
5D. Amenity in a Florida backyard, perhaps
Answer: POOL
6D. Agcy. at the center of a 2026 government shutdown
Answer: DHS
Grid Breakdown
Here's what made today's puzzle tick:
Standout Clue: 8A's visual puzzle "PQRsTUV" for SLOWER. The lowercase "s" between PQR and TUV visually represents "slower than" - PQR is slower than STUV.
Wordplay Winner: 3D's "PQR$TUV" for SUPPER. The dollar sign ($) represents "SUP" (as in "soup"), making it "SUP" + "PER" = SUPPER.
Quick Fill: 5D's Florida backyard POOL. Straightforward geography meets common sense - no wordplay needed.
Speed Solver Tips
Looking to shave seconds off your time? Here's what today's puzzle teaches:
Watch for visual clues - today's 6x6 grid featured two visual puzzles (8A and 3D) that required pattern recognition rather than traditional wordplay.
Pop culture references are gimmes if you know them - HOTONE (Hot Ones YouTube show) and "Bueller... Bueller..." (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) were instant fills for media-savvy solvers.
Tomorrow's Puzzle
The next Mini drops tonight at 10 p.m. EST. How did today's 6x6 grid with its visual puzzles treat you? The PQRsTUV/SLOWER and PQR$TUV/SUPPER clues showed how creative constructors can get with simple letter patterns. Every puzzle sharpens your instincts for the next one.
See you at the next grid.
