March 21, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword Hints and Answers

Today’s Saturday mini is an extended grid, as it always the weekend. The theme this time revolves around spring cleaning — with three boxes labelled KEEP, DONATE, and TOSS guiding the across clues. Below you’ll find every clue, a hint if you want to stay challenged, and the full answer when you’re ready.

What Is the NYT Mini Crossword?

The NYT Mini Crossword is a compact daily puzzle from The New York Times, typically running as a 5×5 grid Monday through Friday, with a larger grid on Saturdays. It’s designed to be solved in just a few minutes, making it an ideal warm-up before tackling the full NYT Crossword. Clues range from straightforward definitions to playful wordplay and pop culture references. You can play it free each day at the mini crossword page on the NYT Games site.

Across Clues and Answers

1 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 1: I still love it!

Hint: What you say when you decide to hold onto something during a declutter session. Answer: KEEP

5 Across: First name of poet Poe

Hint: The gothic American writer’s given name — also a common male name starting with E. Answer: EDGAR

7 Across: Let _ be _

Hint: A common phrase about forgetting past grudges. Answer: BYGONES

9 Across: Gorilla or chimpanzee

Hint: A primate that shares most of its DNA with humans. Answer: APE

10 Across: Clock setting in the U.K.: Abbr.

Hint: Three-letter abbreviation for the time zone centered on the prime meridian. Answer: GMT

11 Across: Eugene Levy, to Dan Levy

Hint: The familial relationship between the two Schitt’s Creek stars. Answer: DAD

12 Across: ___ G BIV (color mnemonic)

Hint: The first three letters of the rainbow acronym. Answer: ROY

13 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 2: Someone else will love it!

Hint: What you do with items you give away to charity or others. Answer: DONATE

15 Across: “If you don’t like it, that’s your problem!”

Hint: A defiant two-word phrase. Think: legal action threat. Answer: SUEME

16 Across: Spring Cleaning Box 3: It’s worthless!

Hint: The bin it goes into when you can’t keep it or donate it. Answer: TOSS

Down Clues and Answers

1 Down: Panels of buttons on which passcodes are entered

Hint: You find these at ATMs and security doors — plural. Answer: KEYPADS

2 Down: Just barely defeated

Hint: Two together — think narrowly won. Answer: EDGEDOUT

3 Down: A narcissist has a big one

Hint: A three-letter psychological term for the self. Answer: EGO

4 Down: High-scoring words in Spelling Bee

Hint: Words using all seven letters in the NYT Spelling Bee are called this. Answer: PANGRAMS

6 Down: Channel changers

Hint: You use these to switch channels without leaving the couch — plural. Answer: REMOTES

7 Down: ___ Bunny, musician known as the “King of Latin Trap”

Hint: This Puerto Rican superstar’s first name is also an adjective meaning not good. Answer: BAD

8 Down: Painful eye malady

Hint: A small bump on the eyelid that can make blinking uncomfortable. Answer: STYE

14 Down: Prefix for a modern genre

Hint: Add this to “classic” to get a word meaning a revived or modern take on something old. Answer: NEO

More Daily Puzzle Help

Looking for more puzzle solutions? Check out these recent Mini Crossword answers from dotwordle.com:

We also cover other daily NYT puzzles — check out the most recent answers for Connections, Wordle, and Strands:

Shahid Maqsood

Shahid Maqsood is a digital entrepreneur and SEO specialist focused on building engaging web experiences. He is the creator of DotWordle, combining creativity with smart, user-friendly design.