The NYT Mini Crossword for Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, features a 5×5 grid that takes players on a global journey. This particular puzzle spans Himalayan peaks, the Mediterranean Sea, and specific American state iconography. Solving the grid requires balancing sports terminology with geographic knowledge.
Hints for Today’s Mini Crossword
If you are stuck on a specific clue, these progressive hints provide context without immediately revealing the solution.
Across Hints
- 1A: This refers to animals kept for companionship, ranging from common mammals to amphibians.
- 5A: You look for this sign when you need to leave a freeway or a building.
- 6A: A baseball term for a player’s turn at the plate.
- 8A: This Mediterranean destination is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands.
- 9A: A strong synonym for loathed or intensely disliked.
Down Hints
- 1D: This fruit is a primary symbol of Georgia and appears on the state’s license plates.
- 2D: In the acronym ESP (extrasensory perception), this word represents the first letter.
- 3D: This high-altitude region is located on the northern side of Mount Everest.
- 4D: This is the specific jurisdiction and responsibility of a Governor.
- 7D: The first name of the actor who played Michael in the sitcom The Good Place.
For players looking to verify their progress or those who have finished the grid, the full list of solutions is provided below.
SPOILER WARNING: The answers for the Sept. 25 NYT Mini Crossword are listed below.
NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sept. 25, 2026
Across Answers
- 1A: PETS (Dogs and cats … or less commonly, frogs and rats)
- 5A: EXIT (Highway off-ramp)
- 6A: ATBAT (Chance to hit a homer)
- 8A: CRETE (Largest island of Greece)
- 9A: HATED (Strongly disliked)
Down Answers
- 1D: PEACH (Fruit on a Georgia license plate)
- 2D: EXTRA (The “E” of ESP)
- 3D: TIBET (Region on the north side of Mount Everest)
- 4D: STATE (Governor’s responsibility)
- 7D: TED (Danson of “The Good Place”)
The layout of today’s 5×5 grid ensures that several key geography clues intersect. For instance, the “T” in PETS (1A) serves as the starting letter for TIBET (3D), while the “E” in CRETE (8A) aligns with the “E” in PEACH (1D). According to Parade, these intersections are vital for completing the more difficult geographic clues like those regarding the Himalayas or the Mediterranean.
