The NYT Mini Crossword for Saturday, September 26, 2026, features the expanded 7×7 grid characteristic of the weekend edition. This puzzle includes a mix of wordplay, pop culture references, and common phrases that may require a few extra seconds of thought compared to the weekday 5×5 versions.
Saturday NYT Mini Hints
If you are stuck on a few specific clues, these hints can help you find the solution without revealing the full grid immediately:
- 1A: Alphabet song lyric: These are the final seven letters of the English alphabet as they appear in the classic nursery rhyme.
- 8A: Sea creature pun: Say the name of this edible mollusk out loud; it sounds exactly like a skeptical exclamation about lunch meat.
- 10A: MTV generation: This three-letter term refers to a member of the generation born between the mid-1960s and early 1980s.
- 2D: Gaming console: This Microsoft device followed the 360 and preceded the Series X.
- 4D: Pasta sauce: A white, buttery, and cheesy sauce often served with fettuccine.
For players looking for more help with digital puzzles, CNET provides daily updates on New York Times games.
SPOILER WARNING: The full answers for the September 26 NYT Mini Crossword are listed below.
NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sept. 26
Across Clues
- 1A: Alphabet song lyric before “Now I know my ABCs” — WXYANDZ
- 8A: Sea creature whose name sounds like “Ah, baloney!” — ABALONE
- 9A: Skin markings after a sunny day on the links — GOLFTAN
- 10A: Gen ___ (member of the “MTV generation”) — XER
- 11A: Medieval weapon — POLEAXE
- 15A: Fasting intermittently, say — ONADIET
- 16A: Phrases differently — REWORDS
Down Clues
- 1D: Shake, like a dog’s tail — WAG
- 2D: Gaming console with a number in its name — XBOXONE
- 3D: Prestigious J.D. program in New Haven, Conn. — YALELAW
- 4D: Creamy pasta sauce — ALFREDO
- 5D: “Believe it or ___ …” — NOT
- 6D: Double-helix molecule — DNA
- 7D: Buddhism branch associated with gardens — ZEN
- 11D: “___ favor” (basic Spanish phrase) — POR
- 12D: What snowboarders try to catch — AIR
- 13D: Crossed (out) — XED
- 14D: Creatures on U.F.O.s, for short — ETS
The 9A clue uses “the links” to refer to a golf course, resulting in a GOLFTAN. Meanwhile, 1A (WXYANDZ) and 2D (XBOXONE) provide the “X” and “Z” anchors for the top half of the grid, while 11A (POLEAXE) anchors the bottom half.
