NYT Crossword Answers — September 16, 2026
The NYT-style Mini for September 16, 2026 packs a full puzzle into a tiny grid, and today's solution set spans everyday vocabulary from MAV, EVENT, LANAI, TITAN. Today's NYT Mini covers an eclectic mix of sports, dining, and everyday objects, with a lively pun in 9A about straight lines tying the grid together. 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, MAV, is the kind of gimme that gives you crossing letters for the trickier fill, while the longest entry, EVENT, 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 an eclectic mix of sports, dining, and everyday objects, with a lively pun in 9A about straight lines tying the grid together.
Across
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Dallas hooper, for short | MAV | Mavericks is Dallas's NBA team, shortened to MAV. |
| 4. Something to R.S.V.P. to | EVENT | An invitation asks guests to R.S.V.P. for the event. |
| 7. Kind of patio that shares its name with a Hawaiian island | LANAI | Lanai is both a Hawaiian island and a type of patio. |
| 8. Heavyweight in an industry | TITAN | A titan is a giant or heavyweight figure in a field. |
| 9. Straight ___, every part of every letter in this puzzle's grid | LINE | Straight lines form the strokes of every letter in the grid. |
Down
| Clue | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Turn gooey, as cheese | MELT | Cheese melts and turns gooey when heated. |
| 2. To no ___ (unsuccessfully) | AVAIL | To no avail means doing something unsuccessfully. |
| 3. Large size at Starbucks | VENTI | Venti is Starbucks's large size, meaning twenty ounces. |
| 5. Flatbread sometimes brushed with garlic butter | NAAN | Naan is a flatbread often brushed with garlic butter. |
| 6. Sharp part of a fork | TINE | Tines are the sharp points on a fork. |
Every answer explained
MAV
Clue: Dallas hooper, for short
Mavericks is Dallas's NBA team, shortened to MAV. With 1 vowel across 3 letters, MAV is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
EVENT
Clue: Something to R.S.V.P. to
An invitation asks guests to R.S.V.P. for the event. EVENT is a tidy 5-letter fill (2 vowels); constructors like it because it plays well in both directions.
LANAI
Clue: Kind of patio that shares its name with a Hawaiian island
Lanai is both a Hawaiian island and a type of patio. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, LANAI interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
TITAN
Clue: Heavyweight in an industry
A titan is a giant or heavyweight figure in a field. As a 5-letter word with 2 vowels, TITAN interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
LINE
Clue: Straight ___, every part of every letter in this puzzle's grid
Straight lines form the strokes of every letter in the grid. As a 4-letter word with 2 vowels, LINE interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
MELT
Clue: Turn gooey, as cheese
Cheese melts and turns gooey when heated. With 1 vowel across 4 letters, MELT is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
AVAIL
Clue: To no ___ (unsuccessfully)
To no avail means doing something unsuccessfully. As a 5-letter word with 3 vowels, AVAIL interlocks easily with crossing entries — one reason it turns up in grids so often.
VENTI
Clue: Large size at Starbucks
Venti is Starbucks's large size, meaning twenty ounces. With 2 vowels across 5 letters, VENTI is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
NAAN
Clue: Flatbread sometimes brushed with garlic butter
Naan is a flatbread often brushed with garlic butter. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, NAAN is exactly the kind of crossword-friendly answer worth recognizing on sight.
TINE
Clue: Sharp part of a fork
Tines are the sharp points on a fork. With 2 vowels across 4 letters, TINE 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.