Welcome to The Mini Hints! If you’re like us, your morning isn’t complete until you’ve finished the New York Times daily word games. Whether it’s Wordle, Connections, or Strands, these puzzles are a daily ritual. But sometimes, the NYT Mini Crossword can be a bit tricky.
The Mini is a fan-favorite because it’s quick and accessible. Unlike other games that reset at midnight, the Mini resets every day at 10 p.m. ET.
If you are working on the puzzle for Saturday, March 21, 2026, and need a little boost, you’re in the right place. Below, we have organized the hints and answers to help you finish your grid.
NYT Mini Crossword Hints: March 21, 2026
If you want a nudge without seeing the full answer yet, use these clues.
Across Hints
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1 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 1: I still love it! — HINT: Starts with “K”
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5 Across: First name of poet Poe — HINT: Starts with “E”
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7 Across: Let ____ be ____ — HINT: Ends with “S”
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9 Across: Gorilla or chimpanzee — HINT: Starts with “A”
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10 Across: Clock setting in the U.K.: Abbr. — HINT: Ends with “T”
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11 Across: Eugene Levy, to Dan Levy — HINT: Starts with “D”
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12 Across: ____ G BIV (color mnemonic) — HINT: Starts with “R”
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13 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 2: Someone else will love it! — HINT: Ends with “E”
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15 Across: “If you don’t like it, that’s your problem!” — HINT: Starts with “S”
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16 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 3: It’s worthless! — HINT: Ends with “S”
Down Hints
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1 Down: Panels of buttons on which passcodes are entered — HINT: Ends with “S”
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2 Down: Just barely defeated — HINT: Ends with “T”
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3 Down: A narcissist has a big one — HINT: Starts with “E”
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4 Down: High-scoring words in Spelling Bee — HINT: Ends with “S”
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6 Down: Channel changers — HINT: Starts with “R”
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7 Down: ____ Bunny, musician known as the “King of Latin Trap” — HINT: Ends with “D”
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8 Down: Painful eye malady — HINT: Starts with “S”
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14 Down: Prefix for a modern genre — HINT: Starts with “N”
NYT Mini Crossword Answers: March 21, 2026
Spoiler Alert! Only scroll further if you want to see the final solutions for today’s puzzle.
Across Answers
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1 Across: KEEP
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5 Across: EDGAR
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7 Across: BYGONES
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9 Across: APE
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10 Across: GMT
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11 Across: DAD
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12 Across: ROY
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13 Across: DONATE
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15 Across: SUEME
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16 Across: TOSS
Down Answers
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1 Down: KEYPADS
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2 Down: EDGEOUT
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3 Down: EGO
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4 Down: PANGRAMS
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6 Down: REMOTES
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7 Down: BAD
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8 Down: STYE
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14 Down: NEO
