Mini Crossword Hints Today
Today's clues with answer lengths, then a first letter for each, then the full grid.
Thursday, October 22, 2026. Hints first, answers hidden until you ask.
Today's Mini Clues
Across
- 1 Go across (4)
- 5 Political staffer (4)
- 6 "Stand clear of the closing ___, please" (iconic N.Y.C. subway announcement) (5)
- 8 Hairstyle secured with pins, maybe (4)
- 9 Greek river of the underworld (4)
Down
- 1 Feeling down (3)
- 2 Devout (5)
- 3 Get from the pound (5)
- 4 Excelling at trivia, say (5)
- 7 "Red" or "White" team (3)
Mini Crossword Hints
The first letter of every answer. Often one is enough to unlock a whole corner.
Reveal first letters
- 1A starts with S
- 5A starts with A
- 6A starts with D
- 8A starts with U
- 9A starts with S
- 1D starts with S
- 2D starts with P
- 3D starts with A
- 4D starts with N
- 7D starts with S
Today's Mini Answers
Reveal every answer
- 1A Go across: SPAN
- 5A Political staffer: AIDE
- 6A "Stand clear of the closing ___, please" (iconic N.Y.C. subway announcement): DOORS
- 8A Hairstyle secured with pins, maybe: UPDO
- 9A Greek river of the underworld: STYX
- 1D Feeling down: SAD
- 2D Devout: PIOUS
- 3D Get from the pound: ADOPT
- 4D Excelling at trivia, say: NERDY
- 7D "Red" or "White" team: SOX
How To Use These Hints
The clues are listed with the length of each answer, which is often enough on its own. If a corner will not open, reveal the first letters: in a grid this small, one letter usually unlocks both the across and the down answer that cross it. The full solution sits behind the last reveal.
The Mini In One Minute
The Mini is a small crossword, usually five by five, with larger grids on some days. It is built to be solved in a minute or two, so the clues lean on common words, everyday phrases and current references rather than crossword obscurities. A new Mini appears every evening for the following day.
Getting Better At It
Solve the downs as soon as you have two or three acrosses. In a five by five grid every letter is checked by two clues, so a guess in one direction is confirmed or killed immediately by the other. Short answers with a fill in the blank clue are almost always the fastest entry point.
Want another one? Our own Mini Crossword has a new five by five grid with ten clues every day, free.
About These Pages
Hints are built automatically from each day's puzzle, then checked against this page's rules: nothing is revealed until you open it, and every hint gives away less than the one after it. Word Unscrambler is independent and is not affiliated with The New York Times. The games themselves are at nytimes.com, and a subscription is the best way to support the people who make them.