How to solve the NYT Mini Crossword Puzzle
What is the NYT Mini Crossword puzzle?
Launched in August 2014, the NYT Mini Crossword was created to help the New York Times (NYT) attract more novice solvers to their website. That’s because their standard daily crossword is usually considered to be difficult for a beginner with even many experienced heads finding trouble with it. Not only that, the publication was looking for a way to offer crossword solvers a quick game that they could play daily, which is how the NYT Mini Crossword was born.
However, while the main NYT crossword is edited by Will Shortz, the NYT Mini Crossword is edited by Joel Fagliano, who was Shortz's former editorial assistant. He started constructing crosswords in his sophomore year of high school and submitted his first puzzle in 2007. Fagliano’s first puzzle to be accepted by the NYT wasn’t until 2009 and by the time he finished high school, he had four puzzles accepted and published by the publication.
Now in charge of the NYT Mini Crossword, the puzzle is released on a daily basis and is available across various formats including the Times’ website and their mobile application.
What is the format and rules?
The smaller version of the New York Times Crossword, the NYT Mini Crossword was created for beginners as well as solvers looking for a quick daily crossword on the go. Thus, as a result, it caters to players of all experience levels with the more experienced heads often speed-running the puzzle inside a minute. However, despite its size, the NYT Mini Crossword also has its own rules and format that its editor Joel Fagliano sticks to daily.
Here are the rules and format of the NYT Mini Crossword:
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The grid is a consistent 5x5 grid every day except Saturday where it changes to a larger 7x7 grid.
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Each NYT Mini Crossword puzzle follows the standard crossword rule of 180-degree rotational symmetry.
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The difficulty level of the clues does increase over the course of the week but it remains solvable for even novice players.
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Themed puzzles may include various forms of wordplay, especially in the larger Saturday grid.
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Each NYT Mini Crossword is designed to be solved within five minutes, with many solvers capable of solving it within 1 minute.
How difficult is the puzzle?
Unlike the New York Times Crossword, the NYT Mini Crossword is designed to be not just a quick-solving puzzle but also one that is accessible to every crossword solver. Thus, as a result, the puzzle’s difficulty level showcases that perfectly but even then, while it is easier than the standard NYT crossword, it is far from an easy solve. It does, however, remain at a consistent level of difficulty over the week, unlike the main crossword puzzle.
That helps make it a quick-solving puzzle with many experienced solvers capable of finishing the NYT Mini Crossword in one minute. Not only that, research and statistics have shown that the average time taken to solve the puzzle is often under five minutes. That does differ for the Saturday puzzle as it has a slightly bigger grid and features slightly more tougher clues.
Guide to solving the puzzle
The NYT Mini Crossword offers a moderate level of challenge that even novices of the crossword game will be able to handle. That combined with its size, the quality of the puzzle, and the themed crossword it offers, has made it a popular puzzle. That is especially because its editor, Joel Fagliano, has maintained its quality since he became editor of the NYT Mini Crossword.
Here are a few tips to help solve the NYT Mini Crossword:
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Scan the clue list and answer the clues you’re most confident of to help build momentum.
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Solve the fill-in-the-blank clues early as they’re usually straightforward and help fill in the grid faster.
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Pay close attention to the tense and number (singular or plural) in the clue as it will match the answer.
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Use the check and reveal function liberally to help weed out mistakes
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Don’t be scared to guess the answer as the size gives players slightly more freedom with educated guesses
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Use online resources like Sportskeeda’s Only Word Games, dictionaries, and more to help out
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Practice regularly as it helps improve one’s problem-solving skills and vocabulary.
Conclusion
While there’s no denying the appeal behind the New York Times crossword, the NYT Mini Crossword has become a fan favorite ever since it was released in 2014. The crossword did experience a massive rise in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic with its daily user numbers rising consistently since then. That should, however, come as no shock especially because the NYT Mini Crossword offers a quick but challenging solution for every crossword player around.
It was built to help give crossword novices a stepping stone towards bigger puzzles but with time, the NYT Mini Crossword has become a favorite amongst experienced heads as well. So much so, that social media now contains challenges for the fastest times, with many solvers capable of finishing the daily puzzle in a minute. That has only helped further increase the NYT Mini Crossword’s popularity even as it continues to improve daily.
