NYT Crossword Answers — August 8, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 8, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from STAFF, MARBLE, PELICAN, OAT. Today's mini covers music, art, animals, food, and wordplay, with a mix of common knowledge and quick associations. 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, OAT, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, PELICAN, 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 covers music, art, animals, food, and wordplay, with a mix of common knowledge and quick associations.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Five lines on sheet music | STAFF | STAFF: The five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written. |
| 6. Material for the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo's David | MARBLE | MARBLE: Both famous sculptures are carved from white marble. |
| 7. Bird that helps to rescue Nemo in "Finding Nemo" | PELICAN | PELICAN: In the film, a pelican named Nigel helps Marlin and Dory find Nemo. |
| 8. ___ milk | OAT | OAT: Common phrase for a dairy alternative, as in oat milk. |
| 9. Pal | BUD | BUD: A short, informal synonym for a friend or pal. |
| 10. Collective way of singing | UNISON | UNISON: Singing together at the same pitch or in harmony as a group. |
| 12. Metal container that's a synonym for "insignificant" | TINPOT | TINPOT: A metal container; also an adjective meaning insignificant or inferior. |
| 13. "Rare" order at a restaurant | STEAK | STEAK: A dish often ordered 'rare' at a steakhouse. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Square cracker | SALTINE | SALTINE: A square, salted cracker. |
| 2. Three: Prefix | TRI | TRI: Prefix meaning three, as in tricycle or triangle. |
| 3. What often starts with an apple and ends with a zebra | ABCBOOK | ABCBOOK: A book that teaches the alphabet, starting with A (apple) and ending with Z (zebra). |
| 4. Show off | FLAUNT | FLAUNT: To display or show off ostentatiously. |
| 5. Ward (off) | FEND | FEND: To ward off or repel, as in 'fend off'. |
| 6. Be sincere | MEANIT | MEANIT: To be sincere, as in 'I mean it'. |
| 7. Throws a hissy-fit | POUTS | POUTS: Throws a hissy-fit, or shows annoyance by sulking. |
| 11. Destination for a mother-daughter day, perhaps | SPA | SPA: A typical destination for a mother-daughter relaxation day. |
Every answer explained
STAFF
Clue: Five lines on sheet music
STAFF: The five horizontal lines on which musical notes are written. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, STAFF is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
MARBLE
Clue: Material for the Venus de Milo and Michelangelo's David
MARBLE: Both famous sculptures are carved from white marble. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, MARBLE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
PELICAN
Clue: Bird that helps to rescue Nemo in "Finding Nemo"
PELICAN: In the film, a pelican named Nigel helps Marlin and Dory find Nemo. As a 7-letter word with 3 vowels, PELICAN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
OAT
Clue: ___ milk
OAT: Common phrase for a dairy alternative, as in oat milk. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, OAT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
BUD
Clue: Pal
BUD: A short, informal synonym for a friend or pal. BUD is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
UNISON
Clue: Collective way of singing
UNISON: Singing together at the same pitch or in harmony as a group. With 3 vowels across 6 letters, UNISON is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
TINPOT
Clue: Metal container that's a synonym for "insignificant"
TINPOT: A metal container; also an adjective meaning insignificant or inferior. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, TINPOT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
STEAK
Clue: "Rare" order at a restaurant
STEAK: A dish often ordered 'rare' at a steakhouse. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, STEAK interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
SALTINE
Clue: Square cracker
SALTINE: A square, salted cracker. SALTINE is a tidy 7-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TRI
Clue: Three: Prefix
TRI: Prefix meaning three, as in tricycle or triangle. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, TRI 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.