NYT Crossword Answers — September 5, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 5, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from ALASKA, COMMON, LONELY, ELK. Today's mini has a nature-themed start and some pop-culture references, ending with a balanced mix of trivia and common words. 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, ELK, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, AMNESIA, 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 has a nature-themed start and some pop-culture references, ending with a balanced mix of trivia and common words.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Its state quarter features a grizzly bear catching a salmon | ALASKA | Alaska's state quarter depicts a grizzly bear catching a salmon. |
| 7. Run-of-the-mill | COMMON | COMMON means ordinary or run-of-the-mill. |
| 8. Needing a friend | LONELY | LONELY means feeling without friends. |
| 9. Grazing animal in the Rockies | ELK | ELK are large deer that graze in Rocky Mountain areas. |
| 10. Freestanding counter at the center of a kitchen | ISLAND | An ISLAND is a freestanding counter in a kitchen. |
| 13. Eating plan participant | DIETER | DIETER is someone who follows an eating plan. |
| 14. Class with colored belts | KARATE | KARATE is a martial art with colored belts. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Knee injury site, for short | ACL | ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament, often injured in the knee. |
| 2. Brit's bathroom | LOO | LOO is a British slang term for a bathroom. |
| 3. Memory loss issue | AMNESIA | AMNESIA is a condition involving memory loss. |
| 4. Nose, by function | SMELLER | SMELLER refers to the nose by its function of smelling. |
| 5. Major Indian city that's the capital of West Bengal | KOLKATA | KOLKATA is the capital city of West Bengal, India. |
| 6. "___ given Sunday!" (football fan's maxim) | ANY | ANY is used in the phrase 'Any given Sunday,' often said by football fans. |
| 10. Texting equivalent of a shrug | IDK | IDK is texting slang for 'I don't know,' like a shrug. |
| 11. After taxes | NET | NET refers to income after taxes are deducted. |
| 12. "Dr." who co-founded Death Row Records | DRE | DRE is Dr. Dre, co-founder of Death Row Records. |
Every answer explained
ALASKA
Clue: Its state quarter features a grizzly bear catching a salmon
Alaska's state quarter depicts a grizzly bear catching a salmon. As a 6-letter word with 3 vowels, ALASKA interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
COMMON
Clue: Run-of-the-mill
COMMON means ordinary or run-of-the-mill. As a 6-letter word with 2 vowels, COMMON interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
LONELY
Clue: Needing a friend
LONELY means feeling without friends. As a 6-letter word with 2 vowels, LONELY interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ELK
Clue: Grazing animal in the Rockies
ELK are large deer that graze in Rocky Mountain areas. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, ELK is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ISLAND
Clue: Freestanding counter at the center of a kitchen
An ISLAND is a freestanding counter in a kitchen. With 2 vowels across 6 letters, ISLAND is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
DIETER
Clue: Eating plan participant
DIETER is someone who follows an eating plan. As a 6-letter word with 3 vowels, DIETER interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
KARATE
Clue: Class with colored belts
KARATE is a martial art with colored belts. With 3 vowels across 6 letters, KARATE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ACL
Clue: Knee injury site, for short
ACL is the anterior cruciate ligament, often injured in the knee. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, ACL is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
LOO
Clue: Brit's bathroom
LOO is a British slang term for a bathroom. LOO is a tidy 3-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AMNESIA
Clue: Memory loss issue
AMNESIA is a condition involving memory loss. With 4 vowels across 7 letters, AMNESIA is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
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.