Many of us have a daily ritual of playing the New York Times word games, from Wordle to the Mini Crossword. While the full crossword is famous, the Mini has a huge following because it’s quick and fun.
If you are working on the puzzle for Thursday, March 12, 2026, and need a little help, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we have broken down the clues into hints first, followed by the actual answers at the bottom. Be careful as you scroll if you want to avoid spoilers!
NYT Mini Crossword Hints (Across)
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1 Across: Like jerk chicken and chicken vindaloo — HINT: Starts with “S”
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6 Across: Capital of Vietnam — HINT: Starts with “H”
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7 Across: “Well, would ya look at that!” — HINT: Ends with “E”
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8 Across: Gem in an oyster — HINT: Starts with “P”
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9 Across: Thick roll of cash — HINT: Ends with “D”
NYT Mini Crossword Hints (Down)
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1 Down: Part of a naval fleet — HINT: Ends with “P”
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2 Down: The “P” in I.P.A. — HINT: Starts with “P”
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3 Down: Relative by marriage — HINT: Starts with “I”
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4 Down: King ___ (venomous snake) — HINT: Ends with “A”
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5 Down: Sign obeyed by merging traffic — HINT: Starts with “Y”
NYT Mini Crossword Answers (March 12, 2026)
Warning: The full solutions are listed below. Only scroll down if you are ready to see the answers.
Across Answers
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1 Across: SPICY
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6 Across: HANOI
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7 Across: ILLBE
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8 Across: PEARL
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9 Across: WAD
Down Answers
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1 Down: SHIP
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2 Down: PALE
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3 Down: INLAW
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4 Down: COBRA
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5 Down: YIELD
NYT Mini Crossword Hints and Answers: Wednesday, March 11, 2026
