NYT Crossword Answers — August 21, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 21, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MILK, ASIA, SCALY, AHIT. Today's mini theme is chocolate: MILK DUDS are candies named for their imperfectly round shape, and MACHU PICCHU, ASIA, and other clues fill the grid. 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, KAY, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, SCALY, 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 theme is chocolate: MILK DUDS are candies named for their imperfectly round shape, and MACHU PICCHU, ASIA, and other clues fill the grid.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. With 8-Across, candy pieces that got their name after the chocolatier tried to make them perfectly round, but failed | MILK | MILK is part of MILK DUDS, the candy named because the chocolatier couldn't make them perfectly round. |
| 5. Home of Brunei and Bhutan | ASIA | ASIA is the continent containing both Brunei and Bhutan. |
| 6. Like the skin of snakes and fish | SCALY | SCALY describes the texture of snake and fish skin. |
| 7. Take ___ (suffer financially) | AHIT | AHIT is the phrase in 'take a hit' meaning to suffer financially. |
| 8. See 1-Across | DUDS | DUDS completes MILK DUDS, the candy that failed to be perfectly round. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. ___ Picchu | MACHU | MACHU is the first word of Machu Picchu, the Incan citadel. |
| 2. "To repeat myself ..." | ISAID | ISAID is a common phrase meaning 'to repeat myself'. |
| 3. Gentle musical melodies | LILTS | LILTS are gentle, musical melodies or rhythms. |
| 4. What "every kiss begins with," in jewelry ads | KAY | KAY is the jewelry store whose ads say 'every kiss begins with Kay'. |
| 6. Wearing an upside-down smile | SAD | SAD means wearing an upside-down smile, i.e., frowning. |
Every answer explained
MILK
Clue: With 8-Across, candy pieces that got their name after the chocolatier tried to make them perfectly round, but failed
MILK is part of MILK DUDS, the candy named because the chocolatier couldn't make them perfectly round. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, MILK interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ASIA
Clue: Home of Brunei and Bhutan
ASIA is the continent containing both Brunei and Bhutan. With 3 vowels across 4 letters, ASIA is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SCALY
Clue: Like the skin of snakes and fish
SCALY describes the texture of snake and fish skin. SCALY is a tidy 5-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AHIT
Clue: Take ___ (suffer financially)
AHIT is the phrase in 'take a hit' meaning to suffer financially. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, AHIT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
DUDS
Clue: See 1-Across
DUDS completes MILK DUDS, the candy that failed to be perfectly round. DUDS is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
MACHU
Clue: ___ Picchu
MACHU is the first word of Machu Picchu, the Incan citadel. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, MACHU is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ISAID
Clue: "To repeat myself ..."
ISAID is a common phrase meaning 'to repeat myself'. With 3 vowels across 5 letters, ISAID is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
LILTS
Clue: Gentle musical melodies
LILTS are gentle, musical melodies or rhythms. LILTS is a tidy 5-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
KAY
Clue: What "every kiss begins with," in jewelry ads
KAY is the jewelry store whose ads say 'every kiss begins with Kay'. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, KAY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
SAD
Clue: Wearing an upside-down smile
SAD means wearing an upside-down smile, i.e., frowning. SAD is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); 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.