NYT Mini Crossword Hints for December 6, 2025
Each clue gets a first letter, a wordplay nudge and the answer. Revealed answers fill the grid.
Across
1A "Stop, Your Honor!" (7)
8A Mont Blanc's mountain range (7)
9A "Hips Don't Lie" singer (7)
10A Professor's helpers, for short (3)
11A Cotton, linen and satin (7)
15A Words before sharing a funny joke (7)
16A Woman who's told "You don't have to put on the red light," in a hit by the Police (7)
Down
1D The "I" of T.G.I.F. (3)
2D "NOW I understand!" (3)
3D Make percussion noises with one's mouth (7)
4D Capital of Indonesia (7)
5D Shortening in speech, as from "captain" to "cap'n" (7)
6D E.M.T.'s skill (3)
7D They might ask you to remove your shoes, for short (3)
11D Christmas tree variety (3)
12D Many moons ___ (3)
13D Channel whose initials are hidden from left to right in the word CHANNEL (3)
14D Get a glimpse of (3)
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Mini-sized tactics
In a 5×5, every across answer crosses every down answer, so one sure word gives you a letter in five others. Start with fill-in-the-blank clues and short, concrete nouns; leave question-mark clues, which signal wordplay, until you have crossings.
A question mark at the end of a clue is the constructor telling you not to read it literally. Abbreviations in the clue (“Org.”, “Abbr.”) mean the answer is abbreviated too.
Questions
When is the new Mini Crossword published?
Weekday Minis appear at 10 p.m. Eastern the night before; weekend Minis appear at 6 p.m. Eastern. This page loads the Mini for your device’s date.
Is the Mini Crossword free?
Yes, the daily Mini is free to play on the NYT Games app and website. The Mini archive needs a subscription.
Why is Saturday’s Mini bigger?
Saturday Minis are often larger than 5×5, sometimes 7×7, and a bit harder. The grid on this page adapts to whatever size the puzzle is.
What’s a good Mini time?
Many regulars solve in under a minute. Around two minutes is a solid everyday time; hints only affect your pride, not the NYT timer.