NYT Crossword Answers — June 6, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 6, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from CAR, MEXICO, OIL, ONCE. A relaxed weekend grid with a fill-in-the-blank at 1-Down and a Hollywood clue at 3-Down. 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, CAR, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, MEXICO, 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 relaxed weekend grid with a fill-in-the-blank at 1-Down and a Hollywood clue at 3-Down.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Automobile | CAR | A car is a common automobile. |
| 4. Country south of the USA | MEXICO | Mexico borders the United States to the south. |
| 6. Cooking fat | OIL | Oil is a fat used for cooking. |
| 7. Fairy tale opener | ONCE | Fairy tales often begin with once upon a time. |
| 8. Look for | SEEK | To seek is to look for something. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Corn on the ___ | COB | Corn on the cob refers to corn served on its core. |
| 2. Air pollution haze | SMOG | Smog is a haze formed from air pollution. |
| 3. Actor DiCaprio, familiarly | LEO | Leonardo DiCaprio is often called Leo. |
| 4. Wed in secret | MARRY | To marry is to wed, sometimes secretly. |
| 5. Frosty coating | ICE | Ice can form a frosty coating on surfaces. |
Every answer explained
CAR
Clue: Automobile
A car is a common automobile. CAR is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
MEXICO
Clue: Country south of the USA
Mexico borders the United States to the south. As a 6-letter word with 3 vowels, MEXICO interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
OIL
Clue: Cooking fat
Oil is a fat used for cooking. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, OIL is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ONCE
Clue: Fairy tale opener
Fairy tales often begin with once upon a time. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, ONCE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
SEEK
Clue: Look for
To seek is to look for something. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, SEEK is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
COB
Clue: Corn on the ___
Corn on the cob refers to corn served on its core. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, COB is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SMOG
Clue: Air pollution haze
Smog is a haze formed from air pollution. SMOG is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
LEO
Clue: Actor DiCaprio, familiarly
Leonardo DiCaprio is often called Leo. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, LEO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
MARRY
Clue: Wed in secret
To marry is to wed, sometimes secretly. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, MARRY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ICE
Clue: Frosty coating
Ice can form a frosty coating on surfaces. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, ICE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
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.