Today’s NYT Mini Crossword has a few tricky twists and turns. If you are a big fan of word games, your day isn’t complete until you finish all the free puzzles from the New York Times. Many players have a daily ritual of solving Connections, Connections Sports Edition, Wordle, Strands, and of course, The Mini Crossword.
While the standard NYT Crossword requires a paid subscription, The Mini is free and has a massive fan base. It resets every night at 10 p.m. ET, unlike the other games that reset at midnight.
If you are working on the puzzle for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and need some help, we have you covered. Below are the clues, hints, and answers for both Across and Down words. The hints come first, followed by the full answer key at the bottom, so scroll carefully if you want to avoid spoilers!
Hints for NYT’s The Mini Crossword on Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Here are helpful clues for every word in today’s puzzle:
NYT Mini Across Hints
-
1 Across: Unit of scissors, underwear or AirPods — HINT: Ends with the letter “R”
-
5 Across: Rabbit relative — HINT: Starts with the letter “H”
-
6 Across: The circled letters in this puzzle, e.g. — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”
-
8 Across: Justice Sotomayor — HINT: Ends with the letter “A”
-
9 Across: Letters in a Big Apple address — HINT: Starts with the letter “N”
NYT Mini Down Hints
-
1 Down: High degrees, for short — HINT: Ends with the letter “S”
-
2 Down: Quarterback Rodgers — HINT: Starts with the letter “A”
-
3 Down: A hardware store with a broken doorknob is an example of it — HINT: Ends with the letter “Y”
-
4 Down: Affix again, as the tail on the donkey — HINT: Starts with the letter “R”
-
7 Down: “Hey, I just thought of something …” — HINT: Starts with the letter “S”
Answers to NYT’s The Mini Crossword for Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Only scroll past this point if you want to see the solution text for today’s puzzle.
NYT Mini Across Answers
-
1 Across: Unit of scissors, underwear or AirPods — PAIR
-
5 Across: Rabbit relative — HARE
-
6 Across: The circled letters in this puzzle, e.g. — DROPS
-
8 Across: Justice Sotomayor — SONIA
-
9 Across: Letters in a Big Apple address — NYNY
NYT Mini Down Answers
-
1 Down: High degrees, for short — PHDS
-
2 Down: Quarterback Rodgers — AARON
-
3 Down: A hardware store with a broken doorknob is an example of it — IRONY
-
4 Down: Affix again, as the tail on the donkey — REPIN
-
7 Down: “Hey, I just thought of something …” — SAY
