NYT Crossword Answers — June 4, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 4, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from PUP, PARIS, AIL, SCAR. A tidy midweek grid with a pop-culture nod to The Lion King at 7-Across. Because the Mini is so compact, every square does double duty — each letter belongs to both an across answer and a down answer — so a single confident entry can unlock the whole board. Today the shortest answer, PUP, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, PARIS, anchors the grid and often takes a crossing or two to confirm. If you're checking your work or you got stuck on one stubborn square, the complete answer key below lists every across and down clue with its solution and a short explanation. We publish these Mini answers every day, so bookmark the archive and come back whenever a clue has you second-guessing. And if reading the answers gives you the itch to solve one yourself, our free Mini Crossword plays the same way — no subscription and no account required.
NYT Mini Crossword Answers
A tidy midweek grid with a pop-culture nod to The Lion King at 7-Across.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baby dog | PUP | A pup is a young dog. |
| 4. Capital of France | PARIS | Paris is the capital city of France. |
| 6. Feel unwell | AIL | To ail is to be ill or feel unwell. |
| 7. Musical about a lion king's rival | SCAR | Scar is the villain in Disney's The Lion King. |
| 8. Requests | ASKS | To ask is to make a request, so asks fits the plural. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fruit in a pie | PEACH | Peaches are a common filling for pies. |
| 2. Uncooked | RAW | Raw food is uncooked. |
| 3. Boxing legend Muhammad | ALI | Muhammad Ali was a legendary heavyweight boxer. |
| 4. Kitchen basin | SINK | A sink is the basin found in a kitchen. |
| 5. Curved roof shape | DOME | A dome is a rounded, curved roof. |
Every answer explained
PUP
Clue: Baby dog
A pup is a young dog. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, PUP is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
PARIS
Clue: Capital of France
Paris is the capital city of France. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, PARIS is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
AIL
Clue: Feel unwell
To ail is to be ill or feel unwell. As a 3-letter word with 2 vowels, AIL is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
SCAR
Clue: Musical about a lion king's rival
Scar is the villain in Disney's The Lion King. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, SCAR is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
ASKS
Clue: Requests
To ask is to make a request, so asks fits the plural. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, ASKS is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
PEACH
Clue: Fruit in a pie
Peaches are a common filling for pies. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, PEACH is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
RAW
Clue: Uncooked
Raw food is uncooked. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, RAW is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
ALI
Clue: Boxing legend Muhammad
Muhammad Ali was a legendary heavyweight boxer. As a 3-letter word with 2 vowels, ALI is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
SINK
Clue: Kitchen basin
A sink is the basin found in a kitchen. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, SINK is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
DOME
Clue: Curved roof shape
A dome is a rounded, curved roof. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, DOME is a crossword-friendly entry — its letters interlock easily, which is why it turns up in grids so often.
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Explore clues from this puzzle
Tips for solving
- 1Start with the fill-in-the-blank and short (3-letter) clues — they're usually the fastest points and hand you crossing letters for everything else.
- 2Work outward from your most confident answer instead of top-to-bottom; in a Mini, one solid entry unlocks four or five neighbors.
- 3If a clue ends in a question mark, expect wordplay or a pun rather than a literal definition.
- 4Plural clues almost always mean the answer ends in S — pencil that last letter in early.
- 5When two answers seem possible, let the crossing clue break the tie rather than guessing.