Welcome to The Mini Hints. If you love the New York Times word games, you probably don’t feel like your day is finished until you’ve checked off the daily Wordle, Strands, and Connections. But for many of us, the NYT Mini Crossword is the most important part of the routine.
While the full NYT Crossword usually requires a subscription, The Mini is a fun, free alternative that resets every night at 10 p.m. ET.
If you are working on the puzzle for Friday, April 3, 2026, and find yourself stuck, we have you covered. Below, you will find hints followed by the full answers. We have separated them so you can view the hints first without accidentally seeing the solutions.
Hints for NYT’s The Mini Crossword: Friday, April 3, 2026
Here are some extra clues to help you solve today’s puzzle.
NYT Mini Across Hints
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1 Across: Jumped up … or a season in the past tense? — HINT: Ends with the letter “G”
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7 Across: Basketball player, informally — HINT: Ends with the letter “R”
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8 Across: ___ balloon — HINT: Starts with the letter “H”
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9 Across: Tumbled down … or a season in the past tense? — HINT: Ends with the letter “L”
NYT Mini Down Hints
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1 Down: Be quiet! — HINT: Starts with the letter “S”
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2 Down: Sound of disappearance — HINT: Ends with the letter “F”
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3 Down: Memorization technique based on repetition — HINT: Starts with the letter “R”
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4 Down: “C’mon, be ___” (“Help me out”) — HINT: Starts with the letter “A”
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5 Down: Astronaut Armstrong — HINT: Ends with the letter “L”
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6 Down: Dog’s warning — HINT: Ends with the letter “R”
Answers to NYT’s The Mini Crossword: Friday, April 3, 2026
Stop scrolling here if you aren’t ready to see the final answers!
NYT Mini Across Answers
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1 Across: Jumped up … or a season in the past tense? — SPRANG
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7 Across: Basketball player, informally — HOOPER
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8 Across: ___ balloon — HOTAIR
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9 Across: Tumbled down … or a season in the past tense? — FELL
NYT Mini Down Answers
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1 Down: Be quiet! — SHH
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2 Down: Sound of disappearance — POOF
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3 Down: Memorization technique based on repetition — ROTE
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4 Down: “C’mon, be ___” (“Help me out”) — APAL
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5 Down: Astronaut Armstrong — NEIL
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6 Down: Dog’s warning — GRR
