NYT Mini hints
June 25, 2026Hint 1 of 21-Across is “Cozy home”, 3 letters.
NYT Mini Crossword Answers — June 25, 2026
Today's Mini Crossword (June 25, 2026) has 5 across clues and 5 down clues. Get a nudge from the hints below, or open the full answer list with an explanation for every clue.
Show every answer and explanation
The NYT-style Mini for June 25, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from HUT, DUBLIN, ATE, MAPLE. Thursday pours a bit of maple sweetness over an Irish capital clue. 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, HUT, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, DUBLIN, 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 pours a bit of maple sweetness over an Irish capital clue.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cozy home | HUT | A hut is a small, simple dwelling. |
| 4. Capital of Ireland | DUBLIN | Dublin is the capital of Ireland. |
| 6. Consumed | ATE | Ate is the past tense of eat. |
| 7. Tree that gives syrup | MAPLE | Maple trees are tapped to make syrup. |
| 8. Curious | NOSY | Nosy means overly curious about others. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Applause | HAND | A hand can mean a round of applause. |
| 2. Cheerful and lively | UPBEAT | Upbeat means cheerful and lively. |
| 3. Consume slowly | TALE | A tale is a story that is told. |
| 4. Do sums | DEEP | Deep means extending far down. |
| 5. Frozen precipitation | HAIL | Hail is frozen rain falling as pellets. |
Every answer explained
HUT
Clue: Cozy home
A hut is a small, simple dwelling. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, HUT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
DUBLIN
Clue: Capital of Ireland
Dublin is the capital of Ireland. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, DUBLIN is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ATE
Clue: Consumed
Ate is the past tense of eat. ATE is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
MAPLE
Clue: Tree that gives syrup
Maple trees are tapped to make syrup. MAPLE is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
NOSY
Clue: Curious
Nosy means overly curious about others. NOSY is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
HAND
Clue: Applause
A hand can mean a round of applause. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, HAND is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
UPBEAT
Clue: Cheerful and lively
Upbeat means cheerful and lively. UPBEAT is a tidy 6-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TALE
Clue: Consume slowly
A tale is a story that is told. TALE is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
DEEP
Clue: Do sums
Deep means extending far down. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, DEEP interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
HAIL
Clue: Frozen precipitation
Hail is frozen rain falling as pellets. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, HAIL is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
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.
The quickest way to get faster is to solve more grids. Funzzle's free Mini Crossword is a new 5×5 every day, and the full-size Daily Crossword is there when you want a longer solve.
Questions people ask
What are the Mini Crossword answers for June 25, 2026?
Across: 1 HUT, 4 DUBLIN, 6 ATE, 7 MAPLE, 8 NOSY. Down: 1 HAND, 2 UPBEAT, 3 TALE, 4 DEEP, 5 HAIL.
What is 1-Across in today's Mini, "Cozy home"?
1-Across, "Cozy home", is HUT.
What time does the NYT Mini come out?
The Mini for the next day is released at 10 p.m. Eastern on weekdays and 6 p.m. Eastern on weekends. Funzzle posts hints and answers as soon as it's out.
How long does the Mini Crossword take?
Most people finish the 5×5 Mini in one to three minutes. Saturday's Mini is often a larger grid and takes a little longer.