NYT Crossword Answers — August 13, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 13, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from PINK, LANAI, ORBIT, REEL. Today's mini has a nature/pink theme with some quick, common answers. 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, END, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, LANAI, 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 a nature/pink theme with some quick, common answers.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Like flamingos and cherry blossoms | PINK | Flamingos and cherry blossoms are famously pink in color. |
| 5. Hawaiian island visible from Maui's west shore | LANAI | Lanai is one of the Hawaiian islands, visible from Maui's west shore. |
| 6. Planet's path | ORBIT | A planet follows a path called an orbit around a star. |
| 7. Short Instagram video | REEL | Instagram's short video feature is called Reels. |
| 8. Break off, as a relationship | END | To break off a relationship is to end it. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ( or ), for short | PAREN | PAREN is short for parenthesis, which is the symbol ( or ). |
| 2. Where Mother's Day breakfast might be served | INBED | Mother's Day breakfast might be served in bed as a treat. |
| 3. Tiny thing to paint | NAIL | A tiny thing to paint is a fingernail, often with polish. |
| 4. First-aid container | KIT | A first-aid container is typically called a kit. |
| 5. Origin stories, e.g. | LORE | Origin stories are part of a character or world's lore. |
Every answer explained
PINK
Clue: Like flamingos and cherry blossoms
Flamingos and cherry blossoms are famously pink in color. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, PINK interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
LANAI
Clue: Hawaiian island visible from Maui's west shore
Lanai is one of the Hawaiian islands, visible from Maui's west shore. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, LANAI interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ORBIT
Clue: Planet's path
A planet follows a path called an orbit around a star. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, ORBIT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
REEL
Clue: Short Instagram video
Instagram's short video feature is called Reels. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, REEL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
END
Clue: Break off, as a relationship
To break off a relationship is to end it. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, END is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
PAREN
Clue: ( or ), for short
PAREN is short for parenthesis, which is the symbol ( or ). PAREN is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
INBED
Clue: Where Mother's Day breakfast might be served
Mother's Day breakfast might be served in bed as a treat. INBED is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
NAIL
Clue: Tiny thing to paint
A tiny thing to paint is a fingernail, often with polish. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, NAIL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
KIT
Clue: First-aid container
A first-aid container is typically called a kit. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, KIT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
LORE
Clue: Origin stories, e.g.
Origin stories are part of a character or world's lore. LORE is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
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.