Welcome to The Mini Hints! Many of us have a daily routine of playing the free word games from the New York Times, like Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Wordle, and Strands. But for many players, the day isn’t complete without solving The Mini Crossword.
While the full NYT Crossword requires a paid subscription, The Mini is free and has a huge fanbase. Keep in mind that this specific puzzle resets every night at 10 p.m. ET, unlike other games that reset at midnight.
If you are working on today’s Mini Crossword for Friday, May 22, 2026, and need a bit of help, we have you covered. Below, you will find the clues and solutions for every line. To prevent spoilers, we have separated the section into hints first, followed by the actual answers at the very bottom. Scroll carefully!
Hints for NYT’s The Mini Crossword on Friday, May 22, 2026
Here are extra clues to help you solve today’s Mini Crossword.
NYT Mini Across Hints
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1 Across: “___ Birds” (Hitchcock film that suggests this puzzle’s theme) — HINT: Starts with the letter “T”
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4 Across: Loudly brag — HINT: Ends with the letter “W”
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5 Across: Stretch out one’s neck — HINT: Ends with the letter “K”
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6 Across: Advocate of war — HINT: Starts with the letter “H”
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7 Across: Test for fifth-year Hogwarts students — HINT: Ends with the letter “L”
NYT Mini Down Hints
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1 Down: Fish using a large net — HINT: Ends with the letter “L”
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2 Down: Call from a Canada goose — HINT: Starts with the letter “H”
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3 Down: Female sheep — HINT: Ends with the letter “E”
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4 Down: Stick in one’s ___ (bird-related idiom) — HINT: Ends with the letter “W”
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5 Down: Comedian Margaret — HINT: Starts with the letter “C”
Answers to NYT’s The Mini Crossword for Friday, May 22, 2026
Stop scrolling here if you do not want to see the final solutions!
NYT Mini Across Answers
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1 Across: “___ Birds” (Hitchcock film that suggests this puzzle’s theme) — THE
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4 Across: Loudly brag — CROW
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5 Across: Stretch out one’s neck — CRANE
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6 Across: Advocate of war — HAWK
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7 Across: Test for fifth-year Hogwarts students — OWL
NYT Mini Down Answers
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1 Down: Fish using a large net — TRAWL
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2 Down: Call from a Canada goose — HONK
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3 Down: Female sheep — EWE
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4 Down: Stick in one’s ___ (bird-related idiom) — CRAW
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5 Down: Comedian Margaret — CHO
