The NYT Mini Crossword for Tuesday, September 15, 2026, features a standard 5×5 grid with a specific focus on vertical alignment and a notable linguistic trap. If you are stuck on the mid-section of the puzzle, the difficulty likely stems from a clever bit of misdirection in the 6-Across clue.
Hints for Today’s Mini Crossword
Before revealing the full solution, here are some progressive hints to help you solve the grid on your own:
- 1-Across Hint: A four-letter slang shortening of a word meaning “clearly” or “evidently.”
- 6-Across Hint: This “F” doesn’t stand for a failing grade; think about the options on a multiple-choice quiz.
- 3-Down Hint: The member of the Mystery Inc. gang known for her orange turtleneck and lost glasses.
- 5-Across Hint: A unit of measurement used to calculate the length of a mile.
The most common hurdle in today’s puzzle is 6-Across (“F, on a test”). Many solvers initially try to fit “FLUNK” into the five-letter space. However, the vertical intersections for 2-Down and 3-Down confirm that the answer refers to a True/False testing format rather than a letter grade.
Spoiler Warning: Full Answer Key
Stop here if you do not want the full solutions revealed. The following section contains every confirmed answer for the September 15, 2026, puzzle.
Across Answers
- 1-Across: OBVI (“That’s a no-brainer!,” slangily)
- 5-Across: FEET (“5,280 in a mile”)
- 6-Across: FALSE (“F, on a test” — this is the boolean value, not a grade)
- 8-Across: CMON (“Give me a break!”)
- 9-Across: HAND (“Don’t walk symbol at a crosswalk”)
Down Answers
- 1-Down: OFF (“Brand of bug spray with an exclamation point in its name”)
- 2-Down: BEACH (“Long ___, Calif.”)
- 3-Down: VELMA (“Brainy member of the Scooby-Doo gang”)
- 4-Down: ITSON (“Let’s do this thing”)
- 7-Down: END (“Conclusion”)
Today’s puzzle highlights the importance of checking cross-references early. By solving 3-Down (VELMA) first, the “L” in FALSE becomes much easier to identify, preventing the “FLUNK” trap. For more tips on daily word games, you can check the latest updates on Daze Puzzle.
