Welcome to The Mini Hints. If you love the New York Times word games as much as I do, your day isn’t finished until you’ve cleared the board. Whether you play Wordle, Connections, or Strands, the NYT Mini Crossword is likely a staple of your daily routine.
While the full NYT Crossword requires a subscription, the Mini is free for everyone. Just remember: this puzzle resets every night at 10 p.m. ET.
If you are working on the puzzle for Tuesday, February 3, 2026, and find yourself stuck, we have you covered. Below are the hints followed by the full answer key.
Hints for NYT’s The Mini Crossword: Tuesday, February 3, 2026
If you just need a little nudge to keep your streak alive, use these clues.
Across Hints
-
1 Across: “That’s incredible!” — HINT: Starts with the letter “W”
-
4 Across: Makes a mistake — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”
-
6 Across: “Piece of cake” or “spill the beans” — HINT: Ends with the letter “M”
-
8 Across: Cool in a throwback kind of way — HINT: Starts with the letter “R”
-
9 Across: See 1-Down — HINT: Ends with the letter “M”
Down Hints
-
1 Down: With 9-Across, something you might wake up from and go “Huh?!” — HINT: Ends with the letter “D”
-
2 Down: What’s spoken into a fast-food intercom — HINT: Starts with the letter “O”
-
3 Down: Pen — HINT: Ends with the letter “E”
-
5 Down: OpenAI product that creates video clips based on prompts — HINT: Starts with the letter “S”
-
7 Down: 1-Across, flipped upside down — HINT: Starts with the letter “M”
Answers to NYT’s The Mini Crossword: Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Warning: The full solutions are listed below. Do not scroll further if you want to solve the puzzle on your own!
Across Answers
-
1 Across: “That’s incredible!” — WOW
-
4 Across: Makes a mistake — ERRS
-
6 Across: “Piece of cake” or “spill the beans” — IDIOM
-
8 Across: Cool in a throwback kind of way — RETRO
-
9 Across: See 1-Down — DREAM
Down Answers
-
1 Down: With 9-Across, something you might wake up from and go “Huh?!” — WEIRD
-
2 Down: What’s spoken into a fast-food intercom — ORDER
-
3 Down: Pen — WRITE
-
5 Down: OpenAI product that creates video clips based on prompts — SORA
-
7 Down: 1-Across, flipped upside down — MOM
NYT Mini Crossword Answers and Hints: Monday, February 2, 2026
