NYT Crossword Answers — September 20, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 20, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from GAG, UMBER, MAINE, SIDED. Today's NYT Mini is a standard general-knowledge puzzle with no unifying theme, mixing wordplay, geography, and common phrases. 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, GAG, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, UMBER, 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 NYT Mini is a standard general-knowledge puzzle with no unifying theme, mixing wordplay, geography, and common phrases.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Running joke | GAG | A gag is a joke, and a running joke is one repeated over time. |
| 4. Shade of brown that becomes a shade of gold if you change its first letter to an "A" | UMBER | Umber is a brown; changing U to A gives amber, a gold shade. |
| 6. State that shares the same first and last letters with MOOSE, appropriately | MAINE | Maine starts and ends with M and E, matching MOOSE's first and last letters. |
| 7. Joined teams (with) | SIDED | To side with someone means to join their team or take their part. |
| 8. "___ Misérables" | LES | Les is the French article preceding Misérables in the musical's title. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. App with an envelope logo | GMAIL | Gmail's app icon depicts a sealed envelope. |
| 2. Withstand | ABIDE | To abide means to tolerate or withstand something. |
| 3. Things that might make your hair curl? | GENES | Genes determine hair traits like curliness. |
| 4. Sounds of hesitation | UMS | Ums are filler sounds expressing hesitation in speech. |
| 5. Vibrant color for a sugar maple in autumn | RED | Red maples' autumn foliage turns a vivid red. |
Every answer explained
GAG
Clue: Running joke
A gag is a joke, and a running joke is one repeated over time. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, GAG is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
UMBER
Clue: Shade of brown that becomes a shade of gold if you change its first letter to an "A"
Umber is a brown; changing U to A gives amber, a gold shade. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, UMBER interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
MAINE
Clue: State that shares the same first and last letters with MOOSE, appropriately
Maine starts and ends with M and E, matching MOOSE's first and last letters. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, MAINE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
SIDED
Clue: Joined teams (with)
To side with someone means to join their team or take their part. SIDED is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
LES
Clue: "___ Misérables"
Les is the French article preceding Misérables in the musical's title. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, LES interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
GMAIL
Clue: App with an envelope logo
Gmail's app icon depicts a sealed envelope. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, GMAIL is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ABIDE
Clue: Withstand
To abide means to tolerate or withstand something. ABIDE is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
GENES
Clue: Things that might make your hair curl?
Genes determine hair traits like curliness. GENES is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
UMS
Clue: Sounds of hesitation
Ums are filler sounds expressing hesitation in speech. UMS is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
RED
Clue: Vibrant color for a sugar maple in autumn
Red maples' autumn foliage turns a vivid red. 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.