NYT Crossword Answers — June 17, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 17, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from SAP, AMAZON, ICE, NEMO. Wednesday floats down the Amazon and finds Nemo 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, SAP, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, AMAZON, 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 floats down the Amazon and finds Nemo at 7-Across.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tree fluid | SAP | Sap is the fluid that circulates in a tree. |
| 4. Longest river in South America | AMAZON | The Amazon is South America's longest river. |
| 6. Frozen water sheet | ICE | Ice can form a sheet on frozen lakes. |
| 7. Pixar clownfish | NEMO | Nemo is the clownfish in Finding Nemo. |
| 8. Small drink | SIP | A sip is a small mouthful of a drink. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tree juice, again | SANE | Sane means mentally sound. |
| 2. Curved gateway | ARCH | An arch is a curved structure over an opening. |
| 3. Not off | PEACE | Peace is calm and freedom from conflict. |
| 4. Fruit for cider | APPLE | Apples are pressed to make cider. |
| 5. Zero, in tennis | LOVE | In tennis, a score of zero is called love. |
Every answer explained
SAP
Clue: Tree fluid
Sap is the fluid that circulates in a tree. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, SAP interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
AMAZON
Clue: Longest river in South America
The Amazon is South America's longest river. AMAZON is a tidy 6-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ICE
Clue: Frozen water sheet
Ice can form a sheet on frozen lakes. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, ICE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
NEMO
Clue: Pixar clownfish
Nemo is the clownfish in Finding Nemo. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, NEMO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SIP
Clue: Small drink
A sip is a small mouthful of a drink. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, SIP is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SANE
Clue: Tree juice, again
Sane means mentally sound. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, SANE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ARCH
Clue: Curved gateway
An arch is a curved structure over an opening. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, ARCH interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
PEACE
Clue: Not off
Peace is calm and freedom from conflict. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, PEACE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
APPLE
Clue: Fruit for cider
Apples are pressed to make cider. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, APPLE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
LOVE
Clue: Zero, in tennis
In tennis, a score of zero is called love. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, LOVE 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.