NYT Mini Crossword Hints for April 7, 2026
Each clue gets a first letter, a wordplay nudge and the answer. Revealed answers fill the grid.
Across
1A Informative commercial, for short (3)
4A Something you trace to draw a Thanksgiving turkey (4)
5A ___ Johnson, former Prime Minister of the U.K. (5)
6A Opposite of include (4)
7A Crosses (out) (3)
Down
1D City with the Notre-Dame Cathedral (5)
2D Bad mood (4)
3D About eight minutes of the average half-hour sitcom (3)
4D Remote worker's office, perhaps (4)
5D Word that can follow each group of circled letters (and hints at its shape) (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.