NYT Crossword Answers — July 28, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for July 28, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from BETA, BRAVO, CORAL, COLD. Today's mini crossword pairs Greek and NATO alphabets, then moves to nature, illness, and sky, with wordplay in the downs. 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, SKY, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, BRAVO, 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
Today's mini crossword pairs Greek and NATO alphabets, then moves to nature, illness, and sky, with wordplay in the downs.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Letter after alpha, in the Greek alphabet | BETA | Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, following alpha. |
| 5. Letter after Alfa, in the NATO phonetic alphabet | BRAVO | Bravo is the NATO phonetic word for the letter B, after Alfa. |
| 6. Barrier reef organism | CORAL | Coral is a marine organism that builds barrier reefs. |
| 7. Bout of sniffling and sneezing, say | COLD | Cold is a common illness with sniffling and sneezing symptoms. |
| 8. Blue expanse | SKY | Sky is the blue expanse above the earth. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. "Babbling" body of water | BROOK | Brook is a small stream, often described as babbling. |
| 2. Before expected | EARLY | Early means happening before the expected time. |
| 3. Broadcast commercial, for short | TVAD | TVAD is a television commercial, abbreviated. |
| 4. Big name in early email | AOL | AOL was a major early email and internet service provider. |
| 5. Brings into an email thread discreetly | BCCS | BCCS sends copies of an email discreetly to hidden recipients. |
Every answer explained
BETA
Clue: Letter after alpha, in the Greek alphabet
Beta is the second letter of the Greek alphabet, following alpha. BETA is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
BRAVO
Clue: Letter after Alfa, in the NATO phonetic alphabet
Bravo is the NATO phonetic word for the letter B, after Alfa. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, BRAVO interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
CORAL
Clue: Barrier reef organism
Coral is a marine organism that builds barrier reefs. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, CORAL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
COLD
Clue: Bout of sniffling and sneezing, say
Cold is a common illness with sniffling and sneezing symptoms. COLD is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SKY
Clue: Blue expanse
Sky is the blue expanse above the earth. As a 3-letter word with 0 vowels, SKY interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
BROOK
Clue: "Babbling" body of water
Brook is a small stream, often described as babbling. BROOK is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
EARLY
Clue: Before expected
Early means happening before the expected time. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, EARLY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
TVAD
Clue: Broadcast commercial, for short
TVAD is a television commercial, abbreviated. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, TVAD is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
AOL
Clue: Big name in early email
AOL was a major early email and internet service provider. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, AOL is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
BCCS
Clue: Brings into an email thread discreetly
BCCS sends copies of an email discreetly to hidden recipients. BCCS is a tidy 4-letter fill (0 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
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.