NYT Crossword Answers — June 10, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 10, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MIX, OTTAWA, ATE, AVATAR. Wednesday balances a Canadian capital with a blockbuster movie clue. 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, MIX, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, OTTAWA, 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
Wednesday balances a Canadian capital with a blockbuster movie clue.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Blend together | MIX | To mix is to blend things together. |
| 4. Capital of Canada | OTTAWA | Ottawa is the capital of Canada. |
| 6. Consumed food | ATE | Ate is the past tense of eat. |
| 7. Sci-fi film with blue aliens | AVATAR | Avatar is a James Cameron film featuring blue Na'vi. |
| 8. Ballpoint or gel item | PEN | Ballpoint and gel are types of pens. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wet dirt | MUD | Mud is wet, soft dirt. |
| 2. Frozen spike | ICICLE | An icicle is a hanging spike of frozen water. |
| 3. Fishing pole | ROD | A rod is used for fishing. |
| 4. Cereal grain | OAT | Oats are a cereal grain used in porridge. |
| 5. Loud metallic sound | CLANG | A clang is a loud metallic ringing sound. |
Every answer explained
MIX
Clue: Blend together
To mix is to blend things together. MIX is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
OTTAWA
Clue: Capital of Canada
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. With 3 vowels across 6 letters, OTTAWA is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ATE
Clue: Consumed food
Ate is the past tense of eat. ATE is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AVATAR
Clue: Sci-fi film with blue aliens
Avatar is a James Cameron film featuring blue Na'vi. AVATAR is a tidy 6-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
PEN
Clue: Ballpoint or gel item
Ballpoint and gel are types of pens. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, PEN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
MUD
Clue: Wet dirt
Mud is wet, soft dirt. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, MUD interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ICICLE
Clue: Frozen spike
An icicle is a hanging spike of frozen water. As a 6-letter word with 3 vowels, ICICLE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ROD
Clue: Fishing pole
A rod is used for fishing. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, ROD interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
OAT
Clue: Cereal grain
Oats are a cereal grain used in porridge. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, OAT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
CLANG
Clue: Loud metallic sound
A clang is a loud metallic ringing sound. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, CLANG 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.