NYT Crossword Answers — August 29, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for August 29, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MAN, GAMES, ONMYWAY, RAD. A straightforward mini crossword with pop culture, food, and academic references. 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, MAN, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, ONMYWAY, 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
A straightforward mini crossword with pop culture, food, and academic references.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. "___, oh, ___!" | MAN | "Oh, man!" is an expression of surprise or frustration. |
| 4. Wordle and Scrabble, for two | GAMES | Wordle and Scrabble are both popular word games. |
| 6. "Heading over now!" | ONMYWAY | "On my way" is a common text message meaning heading over. |
| 8. Totally awesome | RAD | "Rad" is slang for excellent or awesome. |
| 9. So-called "frankenfood," for short | GMO | GMO stands for genetically modified organism, sometimes called frankenfood. |
| 10. The University of Michigan has the largest one in the U.S., seating over 107,000 people | STADIUM | Michigan Stadium, known as the Big House, seats over 107,000. |
| 12. Go "Zzzz" | SNORE | Snoring is often represented as "Zzzz" in comics. |
| 13. "Don't worry, ___ pass" | ITLL | "It'll pass" is a reassurance that something will be okay. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. First Muslim mayor of N.Y.C. | MAMDANI | Mamdani was the first Muslim mayor of New York City. |
| 2. Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court | AMY | Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court justice. |
| 3. Fox sitcom set in a Los Angeles loft | NEWGIRL | "New Girl" is a Fox sitcom set in a Los Angeles loft. |
| 4. Tiny summer pests | GNATS | Gnats are tiny flying insects that are common in summer. |
| 5. ___ Adams, Founding Father for whom a beer is named | SAMUEL | Samuel Adams was a Founding Father and namesake of a beer brand. |
| 6. Surgery sites, for short | ORS | ORs are operating rooms, where surgeries occur. |
| 7. ___ Kippur | YOM | Yom Kippur is the Jewish Day of Atonement. |
| 11. Bit of Braille | DOT | A dot is a raised point in Braille, used to form letters. |
Every answer explained
MAN
Clue: "___, oh, ___!"
"Oh, man!" is an expression of surprise or frustration. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, MAN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
GAMES
Clue: Wordle and Scrabble, for two
Wordle and Scrabble are both popular word games. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, GAMES is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ONMYWAY
Clue: "Heading over now!"
"On my way" is a common text message meaning heading over. As a 7-letter word with 2 vowels, ONMYWAY interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
RAD
Clue: Totally awesome
"Rad" is slang for excellent or awesome. RAD is a tidy 3-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
GMO
Clue: So-called "frankenfood," for short
GMO stands for genetically modified organism, sometimes called frankenfood. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, GMO interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
STADIUM
Clue: The University of Michigan has the largest one in the U.S., seating over 107,000 people
Michigan Stadium, known as the Big House, seats over 107,000. STADIUM is a tidy 7-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SNORE
Clue: Go "Zzzz"
Snoring is often represented as "Zzzz" in comics. SNORE is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
ITLL
Clue: "Don't worry, ___ pass"
"It'll pass" is a reassurance that something will be okay. As a 4-letter word with 1 vowel, ITLL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
MAMDANI
Clue: First Muslim mayor of N.Y.C.
Mamdani was the first Muslim mayor of New York City. With 3 vowels across 7 letters, MAMDANI is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
AMY
Clue: Coney Barrett of the Supreme Court
Amy Coney Barrett is a Supreme Court justice. AMY 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.