NYT Crossword Answers — September 12, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 12, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from OYSTERS, COPILOT, TURNKEY, AWAY. Today's NYT Mini is a straightforward vocabulary puzzle with no single unifying theme, mixing food, tech, music, and pop culture clues. 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, OYSTERS, 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 NYT Mini is a straightforward vocabulary puzzle with no single unifying theme, mixing food, tech, music, and pop culture clues.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. If you order "ostriche" on an Italian menu, you actually get these | OYSTERS | In Italian, 'ostriche' means oysters, so ordering it gets you oysters. |
| 8. Microsoft's A.I. assistant | COPILOT | Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant built into Windows and Office. |
| 9. Move-in-ready, as a house for sale | TURNKEY | A turnkey house is sold fully finished and ready to move into. |
| 10. Home's opposite, on scoreboards | AWAY | On scoreboards, 'away' is listed opposite 'home' for the visiting team. |
| 11. Old and classic, as a car | VINTAGE | A vintage car is old, classic, and often collectible. |
| 15. They're revved with a "Vroom!" | ENGINES | Engines are what get revved, producing a 'Vroom!' sound. |
| 16. M, on a form | MALE | On forms, 'M' is the abbreviation for male. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Span from C to C, in music | OCTAVE | An octave spans eight notes, from one C to the next C. |
| 2. "Fine, I give up" | YOUWIN | 'You win' is a concession meaning 'Fine, I give up.' |
| 3. Pounced | SPRANG | 'Sprang' is the past tense of spring, meaning pounced. |
| 4. Young boy saved by Scrooge's change of heart | TINYTIM | Tiny Tim is the young boy Scrooge helps after his change of heart. |
| 5. Antlered animal of the Rockies | ELK | Elk are large antlered animals found in the Rocky Mountains. |
| 6. Fish eggs | ROE | Roe is the term for fish eggs, often eaten as caviar. |
| 7. Home with a trough of slop | STY | A sty is a pigpen, home to a trough of slop. |
| 12. Actress de Armas | ANA | Ana de Armas is a Cuban-Spanish actress known for 'Knives Out.' |
| 13. Stylist's goo | GEL | Gel is a gooey styling product used by hairstylists. |
| 14. Suffix with Vietnam and Senegal | ESE | '-ese' is the suffix for languages like Vietnamese and Senegalese. |
Every answer explained
OYSTERS
Clue: If you order "ostriche" on an Italian menu, you actually get these
In Italian, 'ostriche' means oysters, so ordering it gets you oysters. OYSTERS is a tidy 7-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
COPILOT
Clue: Microsoft's A.I. assistant
Copilot is Microsoft's AI assistant built into Windows and Office. COPILOT is a tidy 7-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
TURNKEY
Clue: Move-in-ready, as a house for sale
A turnkey house is sold fully finished and ready to move into. TURNKEY is a tidy 7-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
AWAY
Clue: Home's opposite, on scoreboards
On scoreboards, 'away' is listed opposite 'home' for the visiting team. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, AWAY interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
VINTAGE
Clue: Old and classic, as a car
A vintage car is old, classic, and often collectible. With 3 vowels across 7 letters, VINTAGE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
ENGINES
Clue: They're revved with a "Vroom!"
Engines are what get revved, producing a 'Vroom!' sound. With 3 vowels across 7 letters, ENGINES is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
MALE
Clue: M, on a form
On forms, 'M' is the abbreviation for male. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, MALE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
OCTAVE
Clue: Span from C to C, in music
An octave spans eight notes, from one C to the next C. With 3 vowels across 6 letters, OCTAVE is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
YOUWIN
Clue: "Fine, I give up"
'You win' is a concession meaning 'Fine, I give up.' YOUWIN is a tidy 6-letter fill (3 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
SPRANG
Clue: Pounced
'Sprang' is the past tense of spring, meaning pounced. With 1 vowel across 6 letters, SPRANG 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.