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Scrabble letter tiles and pencil arranged around a crossword puzzle piece representing NYT Mini Crossword hints and answers.

NYT Mini Crossword Hints And Answers For 31-July-2025

The New York Times Mini Crossword may be small, but it’s designed to catch you off guard.

Unlike its full-sized cousin, the Mini forces you to think quickly. It packs a sharp mental workout into a compact 5×5 grid, ideal for short breaks.

A tiny puzzle doesn’t mean it’s always easy.

When you’re stuck on a clue, our daily hints and answers will help keep the momentum going.

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Where to Play

You can play the Mini Crossword on the New York Times website, the NYT Games app, or within the Play tab of the main News app.

Past puzzles are available to Games and All Access subscribers.

When the Puzzle Drops

Weekdays + Saturdays: Available at 10 p.m. EST the night before.
Sundays: Drops earlier at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.

How It Works

Fill the grid by solving Across and Down clues. You’ll know you’ve solved it correctly when music plays and a congratulatory message appears.

There’s no streak feature like Wordle, but you can track your solve time and compete with friends on the Mini leaderboard.

Game Features and Shortcuts

Timer: See how quickly you can complete the puzzle.
Reveal and Check tools: If you’re stuck, reveal a letter, word, or check your answers.
Keyboard shortcuts: Use arrow keys, spacebar, tab, and more (on desktop).
Pen and Pencil Mode: Toggle between confident solves and tentative guesses.

Across

Quick punches

The answer is JABS

Animal with unique stripes, similar to human fingerprints

The answer is ZEBRA

The People’s ___ (The Rock’s signature wrestling move)

The answer is ELBOW

Pumps the brakes, say

The answer is SLOWS

Many “Bluey” viewers

The answer is TOTS

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Down

Treat once advertised as “America’s Most Famous Dessert”

The answer is JELLO

Head of a monastery

The answer is ABBOT

Furrowed facial features

The answer is BROWS

Lumber mill tools

The answer is SAWS

Grated citrus peel

The answer is ZEST

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See Also

Explore more daily puzzles and NYT game solutions.

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Bored Panda is an independent digital publisher sharing highlights from internet culture, entertainment, and everyday life with readers around the world. Our goal is to bring you engaging, trustworthy, and helpful content. We fact-check information using primary sources, such as official statements, public records, and interviews, or use reliable secondary sources. Editors review every story for accuracy and clarity before publishing. If we spot a mistake or learn something new, we’ll update it promptly. When you see “Editorial Staff,” it means our team collaborated to curate stories, roundups, and explainers based on verified information. Original stories and features are credited to individual writers. We select editorial images from agencies, official press materials, or use Creative Commons images with clear credit, so you can trust their source. For tips, corrections, or questions, please send an email to editorial@boredpanda.com or use our contact form.

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