NYT Crossword Answers — September 15, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 15, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from OBVI, FEET, FALSE, CMON. Today's NYT Mini is a straightforward, no-theme puzzle with a mix of casual slang, common knowledge, and pop culture 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, OFF, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, FALSE, 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, no-theme puzzle with a mix of casual slang, common knowledge, and pop culture references.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. "That's a no-brainer!," slangily | OBVI | OBVI is short slang for 'obviously,' meaning something is a no-brainer. |
| 5. 5,280 in a mile | FEET | A mile contains 5,280 FEET. |
| 6. F, on a test | FALSE | On a true/false test, F stands for FALSE. |
| 8. "Give me a break!" | CMON | CMON is an exasperated exclamation meaning 'give me a break!' |
| 9. "Don't walk" symbol at a crosswalk | HAND | A crosswalk's 'don't walk' signal shows a raised HAND. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Brand of bug spray with an exclamation point in its name | OFF | OFF is a bug spray brand whose logo includes an exclamation point. |
| 2. Long ___, Calif. | BEACH | Long BEACH is a city in California. |
| 3. Brainy member of the Scooby-Doo gang | VELMA | VELMA is the brainy, glasses-wearing member of the Scooby-Doo gang. |
| 4. "Let's do this thing" | ITSON | ITSON means 'let's do this thing' or 'the competition has begun.' |
| 7. Conclusion | END | END is a synonym for conclusion. |
Every answer explained
OBVI
Clue: "That's a no-brainer!," slangily
OBVI is short slang for 'obviously,' meaning something is a no-brainer. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, OBVI is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
FEET
Clue: 5,280 in a mile
A mile contains 5,280 FEET. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, FEET is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
FALSE
Clue: F, on a test
On a true/false test, F stands for FALSE. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, FALSE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
CMON
Clue: "Give me a break!"
CMON is an exasperated exclamation meaning 'give me a break!' CMON is a tidy 4-letter fill (1 vowel); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
HAND
Clue: "Don't walk" symbol at a crosswalk
A crosswalk's 'don't walk' signal shows a raised HAND. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, HAND is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
OFF
Clue: Brand of bug spray with an exclamation point in its name
OFF is a bug spray brand whose logo includes an exclamation point. As a 3-letter word with 1 vowel, OFF interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
BEACH
Clue: Long ___, Calif.
Long BEACH is a city in California. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, BEACH interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
VELMA
Clue: Brainy member of the Scooby-Doo gang
VELMA is the brainy, glasses-wearing member of the Scooby-Doo gang. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, VELMA interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
ITSON
Clue: "Let's do this thing"
ITSON means 'let's do this thing' or 'the competition has begun.' As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, ITSON interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
END
Clue: Conclusion
END is a synonym for conclusion. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, END 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.