NYT Crossword Answers — June 13, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 13, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MOHAWK, BOA, ODE, SCARJO. A slightly trickier Saturday featuring a celebrity nickname 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, BOA, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, MOHAWK, 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 slightly trickier Saturday featuring a celebrity nickname at 7-Across.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hairstyle held with gel | MOHAWK | A mohawk is a strip of upright hair held with gel. |
| 4. Big constrictor snake | BOA | A boa is a large constricting snake. |
| 6. Lyric poem | ODE | An ode is a lyric poem of praise. |
| 7. Actress Johansson, familiarly | SCARJO | Scarlett Johansson is nicknamed ScarJo. |
| 8. Not many | FEW | Few means a small number. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Not much | MODEST | Modest describes a small or limited amount. |
| 2. Fruit orchard fruit | APPLE | Apples grow in orchards. |
| 3. Weep | WEEP | To weep is to cry. |
| 4. Peanut butter and jelly holder | BREAD | Bread holds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. |
| 5. Frozen precipitation | SNOW | Snow is frozen precipitation. |
Every answer explained
MOHAWK
Clue: Hairstyle held with gel
A mohawk is a strip of upright hair held with gel. MOHAWK is a tidy 6-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
BOA
Clue: Big constrictor snake
A boa is a large constricting snake. BOA is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ODE
Clue: Lyric poem
An ode is a lyric poem of praise. ODE is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SCARJO
Clue: Actress Johansson, familiarly
Scarlett Johansson is nicknamed ScarJo. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, SCARJO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
FEW
Clue: Not many
Few means a small number. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, FEW interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
MODEST
Clue: Not much
Modest describes a small or limited amount. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, MODEST is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
APPLE
Clue: Fruit orchard fruit
Apples grow in orchards. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, APPLE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
WEEP
Clue: Weep
To weep is to cry. WEEP is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
BREAD
Clue: Peanut butter and jelly holder
Bread holds a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. BREAD is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SNOW
Clue: Frozen precipitation
Snow is frozen precipitation. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, SNOW interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
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.