NYT Crossword Answers — June 28, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for June 28, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from NAB, VIENNA, ATE, NIGHT. Sunday visits Vienna and darkens to a nocturnal 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, NAB, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, VIENNA, 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
Sunday visits Vienna and darkens to a nocturnal 7-Across.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Applaud | NAB | To nab is to grab or catch. |
| 4. Capital of Austria | VIENNA | Vienna is the capital of Austria. |
| 6. Consumed | ATE | Ate is the past tense of eat. |
| 7. Opposite of day | NIGHT | Night is the dark period, opposite of day. |
| 8. Curved fruit | PEA | A pea is a small round green vegetable. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Not day | NIGHTS | Nights are the dark hours plural. |
| 2. Consume | AGE | To age is to grow older. |
| 3. Frozen water | BEE | A bee is a honey-making insect. |
| 4. Automobile | VAN | A van is a boxy vehicle. |
| 5. Curved fruit | ANT | An ant is a small industrious insect. |
Every answer explained
NAB
Clue: Applaud
To nab is to grab or catch. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, NAB is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
VIENNA
Clue: Capital of Austria
Vienna is the capital of Austria. As a 6-letter word with 3 vowels, VIENNA interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ATE
Clue: Consumed
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.
NIGHT
Clue: Opposite of day
Night is the dark period, opposite of day. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, NIGHT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
PEA
Clue: Curved fruit
A pea is a small round green vegetable. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, PEA is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
NIGHTS
Clue: Not day
Nights are the dark hours plural. With 1 vowel across 6 letters, NIGHTS is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
AGE
Clue: Consume
To age is to grow older. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, AGE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
BEE
Clue: Frozen water
A bee is a honey-making insect. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, BEE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
VAN
Clue: Automobile
A van is a boxy vehicle. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, VAN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ANT
Clue: Curved fruit
An ant is a small industrious insect. ANT is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
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.