NYT Crossword Answers — August 2, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 2, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from WIFI, SCIFI, JEANS, STOP. Today's mini has no overarching theme but includes tech, sci-fi, casual attire, traffic signs, farm terms, finance, and games. 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, STY, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, SCIFI, 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
Today's mini has no overarching theme but includes tech, sci-fi, casual attire, traffic signs, farm terms, finance, and games.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Something you might ask for while staying over at a friend's house | WIFI | A wireless network you'd request to use your device at someone's home. |
| 5. Genre for "Stranger Things" | SCIFI | Science fiction, the genre of the TV show 'Stranger Things'. |
| 7. Unlikely pants to wear to a wedding | JEANS | Denim trousers are too casual for a formal event like a wedding. |
| 8. Octagonal sign word | STOP | The word on red octagonal road signs, instructing drivers to halt. |
| 9. Where sows are housed | STY | A pen or enclosure where pigs (sows) are kept. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Newspaper that covers the stock market, for short | WSJ | The Wall Street Journal, a newspaper focused on financial news. |
| 2. Puts a cold pack on | ICES | Applies ice to reduce swelling or numb pain. |
| 3. Official decrees | FIATS | Formal orders or decrees issued by an authority. |
| 4. "Otherwise ..." | IFNOT | A phrase meaning 'if not' or 'otherwise'. |
| 6. Words before "with my little eye," in a game | ISPY | First words of the game 'I spy with my little eye...' |
Every answer explained
WIFI
Clue: Something you might ask for while staying over at a friend's house
A wireless network you'd request to use your device at someone's home. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, WIFI is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SCIFI
Clue: Genre for "Stranger Things"
Science fiction, the genre of the TV show 'Stranger Things'. SCIFI is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
JEANS
Clue: Unlikely pants to wear to a wedding
Denim trousers are too casual for a formal event like a wedding. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, JEANS is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
STOP
Clue: Octagonal sign word
The word on red octagonal road signs, instructing drivers to halt. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, STOP is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
STY
Clue: Where sows are housed
A pen or enclosure where pigs (sows) are kept. STY is a tidy 3-letter fill (0 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
WSJ
Clue: Newspaper that covers the stock market, for short
The Wall Street Journal, a newspaper focused on financial news. With 0 vowels across 3 letters, WSJ is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ICES
Clue: Puts a cold pack on
Applies ice to reduce swelling or numb pain. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, ICES is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
FIATS
Clue: Official decrees
Formal orders or decrees issued by an authority. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, FIATS interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
IFNOT
Clue: "Otherwise ..."
A phrase meaning 'if not' or 'otherwise'. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, IFNOT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ISPY
Clue: Words before "with my little eye," in a game
First words of the game 'I spy with my little eye...' With 1 vowel across 4 letters, ISPY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
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.