NYT Crossword Answers — August 10, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 10, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from TAP, HOWTO, ONION, SUNNY. Today's mini is a straightforward mix of wordplay and general knowledge, with a playful headline clue referencing The Onion. 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, TAP, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, HOWTO, 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 is a straightforward mix of wordplay and general knowledge, with a playful headline clue referencing The Onion.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ___ to pay (modern prompt) | TAP | TAP is a modern payment method, as in 'tap to pay' with a card or phone. |
| 4. Helpful book genre | HOWTO | HOWTO is a genre of instructional books, often step-by-step guides. |
| 6. Source of the headline "Study: Dolphins Not So Intelligent on Land," with "The" | ONION | ONION is the satirical news source that would run a silly headline about dolphins. |
| 7. Summer forecast | SUNNY | SUNNY describes clear, bright summer weather with lots of sunshine. |
| 8. Curvy shape | ESS | ESS is the letter S, which has a curvy, serpentine shape. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The sisters on "Sister, Sister" or the brothers on "Property Brothers" | TWINS | TWINS are siblings born together, like the sisters or brothers in the shows. |
| 2. Lots and lots | ATON | ATON means a large amount, often used as 'a ton' meaning lots. |
| 3. Pay (up) | PONY | PONY means to pay, often used as 'pony up' meaning to settle a debt. |
| 4. Fire truck attachment | HOSE | HOSE is a flexible tube attached to a fire truck to spray water. |
| 5. Heavy burden | ONUS | ONUS means a heavy burden or responsibility, as in a duty to bear. |
Every answer explained
TAP
Clue: ___ to pay (modern prompt)
TAP is a modern payment method, as in 'tap to pay' with a card or phone. TAP is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
HOWTO
Clue: Helpful book genre
HOWTO is a genre of instructional books, often step-by-step guides. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, HOWTO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ONION
Clue: Source of the headline "Study: Dolphins Not So Intelligent on Land," with "The"
ONION is the satirical news source that would run a silly headline about dolphins. ONION is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SUNNY
Clue: Summer forecast
SUNNY describes clear, bright summer weather with lots of sunshine. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, SUNNY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ESS
Clue: Curvy shape
ESS is the letter S, which has a curvy, serpentine shape. ESS is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TWINS
Clue: The sisters on "Sister, Sister" or the brothers on "Property Brothers"
TWINS are siblings born together, like the sisters or brothers in the shows. TWINS is a tidy 5-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ATON
Clue: Lots and lots
ATON means a large amount, often used as 'a ton' meaning lots. ATON is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
PONY
Clue: Pay (up)
PONY means to pay, often used as 'pony up' meaning to settle a debt. PONY is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
HOSE
Clue: Fire truck attachment
HOSE is a flexible tube attached to a fire truck to spray water. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, HOSE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ONUS
Clue: Heavy burden
ONUS means a heavy burden or responsibility, as in a duty to bear. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, ONUS interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
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.