NYT Crossword Answers — June 18, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 18, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from TKO, BERLIN, EAT, REBA. Thursday features a quick music clue at 7-Across and a European capital. 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, TKO, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, BERLIN, 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
Thursday features a quick music clue at 7-Across and a European capital.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Boxing win, briefly | TKO | TKO stands for technical knockout in boxing. |
| 4. Capital of Germany | BERLIN | Berlin is the capital of Germany. |
| 6. Consume | EAT | To eat is to consume food. |
| 7. Country singer McEntire | REBA | Reba McEntire is a country music star. |
| 8. Attempt | TRY | To try is to make an attempt. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Musical group | TEAM | A team is a group working together. |
| 2. Not shut | KEEN | Keen means eager or sharp. |
| 3. Body of water | OCEAN | An ocean is a vast body of saltwater. |
| 4. Two-wheeled ride | BIKE | A bike is a two-wheeled vehicle. |
| 5. Woodwind reed | NOTE | A note is a single musical tone. |
Every answer explained
TKO
Clue: Boxing win, briefly
TKO stands for technical knockout in boxing. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, TKO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
BERLIN
Clue: Capital of Germany
Berlin is the capital of Germany. As a 6-letter word with 2 vowels, BERLIN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
EAT
Clue: Consume
To eat is to consume food. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, EAT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
REBA
Clue: Country singer McEntire
Reba McEntire is a country music star. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, REBA is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
TRY
Clue: Attempt
To try is to make an attempt. TRY is a tidy 3-letter fill (0 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TEAM
Clue: Musical group
A team is a group working together. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, TEAM interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
KEEN
Clue: Not shut
Keen means eager or sharp. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, KEEN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
OCEAN
Clue: Body of water
An ocean is a vast body of saltwater. OCEAN is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
BIKE
Clue: Two-wheeled ride
A bike is a two-wheeled vehicle. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, BIKE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
NOTE
Clue: Woodwind reed
A note is a single musical tone. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, NOTE 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.