NYT Crossword Answers — August 26, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 26, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from TIN, DONUT, OUTRO, CREST. Today's mini features a theme of 'three-letter' items, including elements and zodiac signs, with a mix of food, music, and other trivia. 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, TIN, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, DONUT, 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 features a theme of 'three-letter' items, including elements and zodiac signs, with a mix of food, music, and other trivia.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Only three-letter element | TIN | TIN is the only chemical element with a three-letter name. |
| 4. Hole food | DONUT | A donut is a common food with a hole in the center. |
| 6. Section at the end of a song | OUTRO | An outro is the concluding section of a song, opposite of intro. |
| 7. Emblem topping a coat of arms | CREST | A crest is a heraldic emblem placed on top of a coat of arms. |
| 8. Only three-letter zodiac sign | LEO | LEO is the only zodiac sign with a three-letter name. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Visit, as a college | TOUR | To tour a college is to visit it, often for prospective students. |
| 2. Something gathered by a spy | INTEL | Intel is short for intelligence, information gathered by spies. |
| 3. Sip slowly | NURSE | To nurse a drink means to sip it slowly over a long time. |
| 4. Only three-letter Disney dwarf | DOC | DOC is the only Disney dwarf with a three-letter name. |
| 5. Big name in high-end toilets | TOTO | TOTO is a well-known brand famous for high-end toilets. |
Every answer explained
TIN
Clue: Only three-letter element
TIN is the only chemical element with a three-letter name. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, TIN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
DONUT
Clue: Hole food
A donut is a common food with a hole in the center. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, DONUT interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
OUTRO
Clue: Section at the end of a song
An outro is the concluding section of a song, opposite of intro. OUTRO is a tidy 5-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
CREST
Clue: Emblem topping a coat of arms
A crest is a heraldic emblem placed on top of a coat of arms. CREST is a tidy 5-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
LEO
Clue: Only three-letter zodiac sign
LEO is the only zodiac sign with a three-letter name. With 2 vowels across 3 letters, LEO is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
TOUR
Clue: Visit, as a college
To tour a college is to visit it, often for prospective students. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, TOUR is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
INTEL
Clue: Something gathered by a spy
Intel is short for intelligence, information gathered by spies. INTEL is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
NURSE
Clue: Sip slowly
To nurse a drink means to sip it slowly over a long time. NURSE is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
DOC
Clue: Only three-letter Disney dwarf
DOC is the only Disney dwarf with a three-letter name. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, DOC interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
TOTO
Clue: Big name in high-end toilets
TOTO is a well-known brand famous for high-end toilets. TOTO is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 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.