NYT Crossword Answers — August 7, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 7, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MAC, COLOR, ARGUE, BOARD. The mini crossword has a light theme: tech, colors, travel, and wordplay, with a movie reference in 4A. 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, MAC, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, COLOR, 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
The mini crossword has a light theme: tech, colors, travel, and wordplay, with a movie reference in 4A.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apple computer | MAC | MAC is a classic Apple computer model. |
| 4. What the Kansas scenes lack that the Oz scenes do not, in "The Wizard of Oz" | COLOR | Kansas scenes are sepia-toned, while Oz scenes are in COLOR. |
| 6. Quarrel (with) | ARGUE | ARGUE means to quarrel or have a disagreement. |
| 7. Get on an airplane | BOARD | BOARD means to get onto an airplane. |
| 8. "Nothing but ___!" | NET | NET completes the phrase 'Nothing but net,' a basketball expression. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nincompoop | MORON | MORON is a slang term for a nincompoop or foolish person. |
| 2. Bottom of the aquatic food chain | ALGAE | ALGAE are simple aquatic organisms at the bottom of food chains. |
| 3. Pickleball venue | COURT | COURT is the playing area for pickleball. |
| 4. Yellow symbol of N.Y.C. | CAB | CAB is a yellow taxi, an iconic New York City symbol. |
| 5. Like the logos of Stanford and Harvard | RED | RED is the color of both Stanford and Harvard logos. |
Every answer explained
MAC
Clue: Apple computer
MAC is a classic Apple computer model. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, MAC interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
COLOR
Clue: What the Kansas scenes lack that the Oz scenes do not, in "The Wizard of Oz"
Kansas scenes are sepia-toned, while Oz scenes are in COLOR. COLOR is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ARGUE
Clue: Quarrel (with)
ARGUE means to quarrel or have a disagreement. With 3 vowels across 5 letters, ARGUE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
BOARD
Clue: Get on an airplane
BOARD means to get onto an airplane. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, BOARD interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
NET
Clue: "Nothing but ___!"
NET completes the phrase 'Nothing but net,' a basketball expression. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, NET is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
MORON
Clue: Nincompoop
MORON is a slang term for a nincompoop or foolish person. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, MORON is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ALGAE
Clue: Bottom of the aquatic food chain
ALGAE are simple aquatic organisms at the bottom of food chains. ALGAE is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
COURT
Clue: Pickleball venue
COURT is the playing area for pickleball. COURT is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
CAB
Clue: Yellow symbol of N.Y.C.
CAB is a yellow taxi, an iconic New York City symbol. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, CAB is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
RED
Clue: Like the logos of Stanford and Harvard
RED is the color of both Stanford and Harvard logos. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, RED 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.