NYT Crossword Answers — June 4, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 4, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from PUP, PARIS, AIL, SCAR. A tidy midweek grid with a pop-culture nod to The Lion King at 7-Across. 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, PUP, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, PARIS, 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
A tidy midweek grid with a pop-culture nod to The Lion King at 7-Across.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Baby dog | PUP | A pup is a young dog. |
| 4. Capital of France | PARIS | Paris is the capital city of France. |
| 6. Feel unwell | AIL | To ail is to be ill or feel unwell. |
| 7. Musical about a lion king's rival | SCAR | Scar is the villain in Disney's The Lion King. |
| 8. Requests | ASKS | To ask is to make a request, so asks fits the plural. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Fruit in a pie | PEACH | Peaches are a common filling for pies. |
| 2. Uncooked | RAW | Raw food is uncooked. |
| 3. Boxing legend Muhammad | ALI | Muhammad Ali was a legendary heavyweight boxer. |
| 4. Kitchen basin | SINK | A sink is the basin found in a kitchen. |
| 5. Curved roof shape | DOME | A dome is a rounded, curved roof. |
Every answer explained
PUP
Clue: Baby dog
A pup is a young dog. PUP is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
PARIS
Clue: Capital of France
Paris is the capital city of France. PARIS is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AIL
Clue: Feel unwell
To ail is to be ill or feel unwell. As a 3-letter word with 2 vowels, AIL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
SCAR
Clue: Musical about a lion king's rival
Scar is the villain in Disney's The Lion King. SCAR is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ASKS
Clue: Requests
To ask is to make a request, so asks fits the plural. ASKS is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
PEACH
Clue: Fruit in a pie
Peaches are a common filling for pies. PEACH is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
RAW
Clue: Uncooked
Raw food is uncooked. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, RAW is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ALI
Clue: Boxing legend Muhammad
Muhammad Ali was a legendary heavyweight boxer. ALI is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SINK
Clue: Kitchen basin
A sink is the basin found in a kitchen. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, SINK is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
DOME
Clue: Curved roof shape
A dome is a rounded, curved roof. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, DOME interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
Explore clues from this puzzle
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.