NYT Crossword Today's Hints and Answer
NYT Crossword Yesterday's Hints and Answer
Answers for 13 August 2026
Spoiler belowAcross
Take a quick turn
ZAG
Sound from a monitor
BEEP
One who's definitely not being invited to the party
PARIAH
Letters indicating a texter's P.O.V.
IMO
Fried side dish with catfish, perhaps
OKRA
Cough drop brand whose name is yodeled in its commercials
RICOLA
Mafia members, e.g.
LOBSTERS
Gave a talking to?
ORATED
Tiptoed, say
CREPT
Bamboozle
STUMP
Michigan, in Chicago: Abbr.
AVE
Messenger
HERALD
Alimony recipients, say
ESPOUSES
Boil … or a sign of boiling
STEAM
Important travel info, in brief
ETDS
Dessert often eaten before the ides of March
PIE
Hold up
STALL
"Light" weapon
SABER
Verbalized shivers
BRRS
Drinks at a pub
AXLES
Kind of bean used in Egyptian falafel
FAVA
___ Ingebrigtsen, track gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics
JAKOB
Teary-eyed expression
IMSAD
In need of training, say
NEW
Collect over and over, as resources in a video game
FARM
Pass, as time doing something
SPEND
11th of a noted 12
AQUARIUM
Was especially wintry
SNOWED
Part of a slider
BUN
___ Roy, "Succession" role for which Kieran Culkin won an Emmy
ROMAN
"It is not enough to be industrious; ___ the ants": Henry David Thoreau
SOARE
Smallest member of the genus Lynx
BOBCAT
Evaluating, as an opponent … or a hint to "fitting" the answers to the italicized clues into the grid
SIZINGUP
Uncommon color on the red carpet
ORANGE
Draw together, as brows
KNIT
Decline cookies, say, with "out"
OPT
Soaked up the sun
TANNED
___ Pictures (media giant)
SONY
Last term in a math lecture series?
NTH
Down
0
ZILCH
Love of Bologna
AMORE
Fly off the handle
GOBERSERK
They might have deposits
BOTTLES
Pull (out), as a narrow victory
EKE
Makes an oopsie
ERRS
Sticky stuff
PASTE
Query for Claude, e.g.
PROMPT
Apple accessory announced alongside the removal of the iPhone's headphone jack
AIRPODS
Record label owned by 72-Across
RCA
Littlest bits
IOTAS
Motrin alternative
ALEVE
Epitome of a hot place
HADES
Reacted to a bad taste, perhaps
SPAT
Like a bike without wheels
USELESS
"Gold" of the 21st century
DATA
Org. focused on cloud security?
USAF
Five stars on a scale, typically
MAXIMUM
Sandwich that may be a bit crunchy, for short
PBJ
Apt name for an investor
IRA
A.I. that has been trained with massive amounts of text, in brief
LLM
Something to jump on
BANDWAGON
Many a sleepless night
EVE
Untapped, as talent
RAW
Casual gaming site?
SOFA
Drains the life out of
SAPS
Overwhelming stream
BARRAGE
Compactness
DENSITY
Ran amok
RIOTED
Lunchtime, say
NOON
Monastic superior
ABBOT
Website that describes itself as "a place to share knowledge and better understand the world"
QUORA
Allow to post on a forum again, e.g.
UNBAN
Uses caution while in public during flu season, say
MASKS
Go off with a bang
ERUPT
Consideration when diving
DEPTH
El ___
NINO
Channel that pioneered 24-hour TV reporting
CNN
Grape whose "white" wine is actually pink, informally
ZIN
NYT Mini Crossword Strategy Tips
Solve the 5x5 grid faster with these techniques.
Fill-in-the-blank clues first
Clues like "___ of the century" or "Pop ___" have a single obvious answer. Solve all fill-in-the-blank clues before tackling definition or wordplay clues. They plant anchor letters throughout the grid instantly.
Use crossing letters aggressively
In a 5x5 grid, every letter is shared by one Across and one Down answer. One solved word constrains up to 5 crossing answers. Do not guess a clue in isolation when letters from other entries can confirm it.
Watch for wordplay and double meanings
Mini clues love misdirection. "Runs in the family?" could be a DNA reference, not sprinting. A question mark at the end of a clue almost always signals a pun or a non-literal meaning.
Know the common 3-letter standbys
ERA, ORE, ALE, OAR, EEL, APE, ADE, and other short words appear repeatedly in Mini grids. When a clue is vague and the crossing letters leave only 3-letter gaps, cycle through common options.
Abbreviations signal abbreviation answers
If a clue includes "Abbr.", "for short", or lists something like "Mon. or Tue.", the answer is an abbreviation. Abbreviation answers often end in odd letter combinations that would otherwise be tricky.
The Mini refreshes at midnight ET
A new Mini Crossword goes live every day at 12:00 AM Eastern Time. If you are trying to solve on the same day it was published, check back after midnight if the puzzle is not yet showing.
Building your vocabulary? Browse 3-letter words or 4-letter words common in crosswords.
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- Aug 14, 2026