NYT Crossword Answers — September 14, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 14, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from CBS, PORT, CAMEO, ASIAN. Today's NYT Mini covers TV networks, wines, Hitchcock cameos, and elephant types, with answers ranging from CBS to CAR. 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, CBS, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, CAMEO, 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 covers TV networks, wines, Hitchcock cameos, and elephant types, with answers ranging from CBS to CAR.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Channel for "Survivor" and "Big Brother" | CBS | CBS airs both reality hits "Survivor" and "Big Brother." |
| 4. Dessert wine | PORT | Port is a fortified Portuguese dessert wine. |
| 5. Alfred Hitchcock famously made one in 40 of his 53 films | CAMEO | Hitchcock made brief cameo appearances in 40 of his 53 films. |
| 6. Like elephants distinguished by their smaller rounded ears | ASIAN | Asian elephants have smaller, more rounded ears than African elephants. |
| 7. "The ___ Horror Show," 2026 Broadway revival with nine Tony nominations | ROCKY | "The Rocky Horror Show" is a musical with a 2026 Broadway revival. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Word before relief, book or strip | COMIC | Comic precedes relief, book, and strip as compound words. |
| 2. Snap (off) | BREAK | To break off means to snap off suddenly. |
| 3. Cold and unfeeling | STONY | Stony means cold, hard, and unfeeling in manner. |
| 4. El ___, West Texas metropolis | PASO | El Paso is a major city in West Texas. |
| 5. Expensive gift for a 16th birthday | CAR | A car is a classic extravagant gift for a 16th birthday. |
Every answer explained
CBS
Clue: Channel for "Survivor" and "Big Brother"
CBS airs both reality hits "Survivor" and "Big Brother." As a 3-letter word with 0 vowels, CBS interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
PORT
Clue: Dessert wine
Port is a fortified Portuguese dessert wine. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, PORT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
CAMEO
Clue: Alfred Hitchcock famously made one in 40 of his 53 films
Hitchcock made brief cameo appearances in 40 of his 53 films. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, CAMEO interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ASIAN
Clue: Like elephants distinguished by their smaller rounded ears
Asian elephants have smaller, more rounded ears than African elephants. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, ASIAN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ROCKY
Clue: "The ___ Horror Show," 2026 Broadway revival with nine Tony nominations
"The Rocky Horror Show" is a musical with a 2026 Broadway revival. With 1 vowel across 5 letters, ROCKY is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
COMIC
Clue: Word before relief, book or strip
Comic precedes relief, book, and strip as compound words. COMIC is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
BREAK
Clue: Snap (off)
To break off means to snap off suddenly. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, BREAK interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
STONY
Clue: Cold and unfeeling
Stony means cold, hard, and unfeeling in manner. STONY is a tidy 5-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
PASO
Clue: El ___, West Texas metropolis
El Paso is a major city in West Texas. PASO is a tidy 4-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
CAR
Clue: Expensive gift for a 16th birthday
A car is a classic extravagant gift for a 16th birthday. CAR 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.