Warning: spoilers ahead! We mean it. Don’t read further unless you’re truly in need of a Mini Crossword Hint Today or you’ve decided to give up and want the answers immediately. Get ready for all of the NYT “Mini Crossword” hints and answers for Monday, February 17, 2025. Click here to find today’s Mini Crossword hints, along with daily answers for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, and Connections puzzles.

- what is new york times Mini Crossword puzzle game?
- The New York Times Games
- NYT Mini Crossword™
- Mini Crossword Hint puzzle
- Mini across clues and answers
- Mini down clues and answers
- Here’s what the board looks like when the Mini Crossword puzzle is solved | Mini Crossword Answer For Monday, February 17, 2025
- Where to Play Mini Crossword Puzzle?
- NYT Mini Crossword | Sunday, February 9, 2025
- what is Mini Crossword Puzzle Availability?
- How to Play Mini Crossword?
- what are games like nYT Mini Crossword?
- Let's Play The New York Times' Mini Crossword | Mini Crossword Hint
- Tips & Tricks to win Mini Crossword NYT
- Conclusion | NYT Mini Crossword Hint
- related topics: NYT Mini Crossword Hint Today
- NYT Mini Crossword Hint Today | FAQs
Advertisement
what is new york times Mini Crossword puzzle game?
Joel Fagliano created the Mini Crossword, sometimes known as just The Mini. It is much simpler than the regular daily crossword and is 5 by 5 on Sundays through Fridays and 7 by 7 on Saturdays. Stay updated on tech trends with our Gamerglen.com tips and news.
The New York Times Games

NYT Mini Crossword™
The Mini Crossword is a compact daily word puzzle with a 5×5 grid and a list of clues. It’s simpler and quicker to solve than regular crosswords, typically taking just a few minutes. Players must use problem-solving, vocabulary, and clue interpretation skills to fill in the grid. A new puzzle is available every day, with the option to revisit past puzzles for extra fun.
Release Date | August 21, 2014 |
Developer | The New York Times |
Publisher | The New York Times Games |
Genre | Word game |
Platform | Web browsers |
The New York Times, a leading American newspaper, offers a collection of casual print and online puzzles under The New York Times Games (NYT Games). Originating from its iconic crossword puzzle in 1942, NYT Games officially launched on August 21, 2014, with the introduction of the Mini Crossword. Most puzzles, including the Mini Crossword Hint updates, follow The Times’ daily rhythm, ensuring fresh challenges every day.
As print revenues decline, The New York Times has focused on boosting digital subscriptions, including its Games section. Since its launch, NYT Games has become a key revenue stream, gaining viral popularity. By 2024, it boasts over a million paid subscribers and more than 10 million daily players. Internally, it’s often humorously said, “The New York Times is now a gaming company that also happens to offer news.”
Advertisement
Mini Crossword Hint puzzle
I was certain I’d finish today’s Mini Crossword in record time, but one clue tripped me up.
If you’re stuck on today’s Mini Crossword clues, we’ve got the answers to help you out. Need guidance solving puzzles daily? Check out our Mini Crossword Hint Tips and Tricks Guide for helpful strategies.
The Times also offers a variety of games like the Mini Crossword, and Gamerglen’s NYT puzzle tips page covers today’s Wordle, Connections, and Strands solutions.
Advertisement
Mini across clues and answers
1A clue: Scooter seen in Roman Holiday
Answer: VESPA
6A clue: No, in pig Latin
Answer: IXNAY
7A clue: “The First ___” (phrase on Delaware license plates)
Answer: STATE
8A clue: Zodiac ram
Answer: ARIES
9A clue: Each and every one
Answer: ALL
Mini down clues and answers
1D clue: Big name in cards
Answer: VISA
2D clue: When repeated, newsie’s cry
Answer: EXTRA
3D clue: It moves slow as shell
Answer: SNAIL
4D clue: Dev of 2024’s Monkey Man
Answer: PATEL
5D clue: Affirmative votes
Answer: AYES
Here’s what the board looks like when the Mini Crossword puzzle is solved | Mini Crossword Answer For Monday, February 17, 2025

Advertisement
Where to Play Mini Crossword Puzzle?
The Mini Crossword is accessible on nytimes.com/games, the Play page of the New York Times News app, and the New York Times Games app for iOS and Android.
Subscribers with All Access or Games plans can also explore archived puzzles for additional Mini Crossword Hint solutions.
NYT Mini Crossword | Sunday, February 9, 2025
what is Mini Crossword Puzzle Availability?
Players can access each daily Mini Crossword the evening before its official publish date.
- Weekday and Saturday puzzles become available at 10 p.m. EST the night prior.
- Sunday puzzles are accessible starting at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
- Enable push notifications in the Games app settings to receive a Mini Crossword Hint alert when the latest puzzle is ready.
- If notifications were previously disabled, go to your device settings, locate the Games app, and turn on Notifications to stay updated.
Advertisement
How to Play Mini Crossword?
The goal is to solve clues in the Across and Down sections, filling the white squares with letters to form words or phrases that intersect. Use each Mini Crossword Hint to guide you toward completing the puzzle.
How do I know if I’ve successfully solved the puzzle?
- Once you solve the puzzle correctly using the Mini Crossword Hint, a cheerful message will appear, and music will start playing.
- If the board is completely filled but you don’t see the message, it means at least one square is incorrect.
A blue star marks the completion of the Mini. While there is no streak feature in the Mini Crossword, the Leaderboard section below provides details about your time stats.
what are Mini Crossword Keyboard Shortcuts?
You can use the following keyboard shortcuts to play the Mini on a computer:
- Arrow keys – change direction within the same square, move in the direction of the arrow, jump back to the first blank in the word, or jump to the next clue.
- Spacebar – clear the current square and advance, toggle between Across and Down.
- Backspace (Delete on Macs) – remove words or a letter from a word.
- Tab key – Jump to the next clue
- Shift + Tab keys – Jump to the previous clue
- Escape – Enter Rebus mode
Advertisement
what are Mini Crossword Pen and Pencil Modes?
You can toggle between pen and pencil modes while playing the Mini Crossword. To switch modes in the app and online, simply click the pencil icon.
- In pencil mode, the letters appear gray, while in pen mode, they are black.
- To use pencil mode, select the pencil icon (which will highlight).
- To return to pen mode, just deselect the pencil icon.
what are Mini Crossword Letter Colors In the Mini?
In the Mini, the letter colors that show up indicate the following:
- Black – Letters entered in the default pen mode.
- Gray – Letters entered in pencil mode.
- Blue – Letters that have been confirmed with Check.
Advertisement
How the Mini Timer Works?
You can track your time while solving a puzzle with the timer displayed above the Mini Crossword.
- Pause the timer by clicking the pause button or exiting the puzzle.
- To resume, click the Continue button, which will restart the timer.
- If you clear the entire puzzle, the timer will reset.
- To hide the timer, go to Puzzle settings (gear icon) at the top and turn off the “Show Timer” option.
The assistance in Solving the Mini
The New York Times offers several resources to help you solve puzzles and improve your skills. If you’re stuck, click the lifesaver icon at the top of the puzzle to check or reveal a square, an answer, or the entire puzzle:
- Clear: Clears the entire puzzle to start over.
- Reveal: Reveals the correct letters for a square, an answer, or the entire puzzle.
- Check: Checks a square, word, or the entire puzzle. You can also enable Autocheck, which automatically checks each square as you input letters or words.
what is Mini Crossword Leaderboards?
On both desktop and mobile versions of the New York Times Games website, the Mini features leaderboards. You and your Mini-playing friends can join each other’s leaderboards to track how long it takes everyone to finish the puzzle each day.
- The leaderboard resets automatically when a new puzzle is released each day.
- You can only view the leaderboard for the current live Mini puzzle.
- Solve time is recorded the first time you solve a puzzle.
Leaderboards are private, meaning only those you invite can see yours. Up to 100 people can be listed on your leaderboard, and you must remove someone before adding another.
Currently, global leaderboards, showing all Mini players, are not available. Therefore, monitoring or preventing cheating on global leaderboards is not possible.
what are games like nYT Mini Crossword?
Check out some word and browser-based games to take your mind off of mass advertising and engage in some fun wordplay.
Name | How To Play |
---|---|
Wordle | Solve a random five-letter word using color hints. |
Primel | Guess a five-digit number in six trials. |
Crosswordle | Find the two words that cross one other like in a crossword puzzle. |
The Password Game | Make a password in this ever-changing, not-so-simple game. |
Let’s Play The New York Times’ Mini Crossword | Mini Crossword Hint
Advertisement
Tips & Tricks to win Mini Crossword NYT
Solve out of order
Start by focusing on the clues you’re sure about. Once you fill in a few answers, the letters you uncover will help you crack the more difficult ones, just like in any other crossword puzzle.
Look for repeated or related clues
The New York Times Mini Crossword often has related clues. For example, one recent Mini included two clues for “Apple product”—one related to eating apples (CIDER) and the other to tech (MAC). When a clue repeats, consider all possible meanings.
Desktop over mobile
While it’s easier to solve the Mini on a larger laptop or desktop screen than on a small phone screen, I still do most of my puzzles on my phone.
One-answer-only clues are your friend
Some crossword clues are so specific that they only have one possible answer. For example, “Author of The Shining” can only be King or Stephen. Seek out these types of clues for simpler solutions.
Don’t be afraid of wrong answers
If you’re unsure about an answer, fill in your best guess anyway. It’s easy to adjust once more answers fall into place—no eraser needed!
Not all answers are one word
You’ll soon notice some unique quirks in the Mini Crossword. Not every answer is a single word; for example, “Am not!” was recently answered with “are so!” rather than “are too!” Keep an open mind!
Google if you must
If you’re really stuck, it’s okay to use Google to help you out. There’s no shame in looking up answers when you’re at a loss—puzzles are about fun, not honor codes.
Conclusion | NYT Mini Crossword Hint
- The The New York Times Games: NYT Mini Crossword™
related topics: NYT Mini Crossword Hint Today
- Strands Hint Today Answers
- Connections Hint Today And Answers
- Wordle Answer Today And Hints
- Best Picks: The 6 Best Cheap Headphones For Everyday Use 2025
- Best Picks: Best Motherboard For 7800x3d | Budget To High End 2025
NYT Mini Crossword Hint Today | FAQs
What is a mini crossword?
A mini crossword is a smaller, bite-sized version of a traditional crossword puzzle offered by The New York Times. It features a compact grid, typically 5×5, and provides a quick, fun challenge that can be completed in just a few minutes.
What is the average time to solve the nyt mini crossword?
The average time to solve the NYT Mini Crossword is around 2-5 minutes, depending on the player’s skill level. It’s designed to be a quick and enjoyable daily puzzle for all ages.
Is the mini crossword free?
The NYT Mini Crossword is free to play on the New York Times website and app. However, access to older puzzles and additional features may require a subscription.