Technologies

The New York Times Mini Crossword Is No Longer Free to All: Here’s One Way to Play

Sure, the Mini Crossword only took 1 or 2 minutes to solve, but the game mattered to lots of people, including me.

The New York Times Mini Crossword is a fun and simple younger sibling to the newspaper’s legendary regular daily crossword. The Mini Crossword (we publish the answers daily) usually has only about six across-clues and six down-clues, and you can finish it in less than a minute if all goes well.

It makes me feel smart, unlike the big crossword, which sometimes makes me throw things.

But this Wednesday, some Mini Crossword players were met with a paywall. Going forward, anyone who doesn’t pay for a Times subscription with a Games package will be required to subscribe if they want to continue solving the Mini Crossword.

Naturally, players were… well, what’s a five-letter word for bummed out? UPSET?

Read more: CNET’s daily answer page for Wordle, Connections, Strands, the Mini Crossword and Connections: Sports Edition

«Each day that passes, a bit of happiness is placed behind a paywall,» wrote one Reddit user.

Another wrote, «Doing this crossword on the way home each day from work was my little ritual.»

Pay to play: Games subscription for full access

Even if you have a digital subscription to the New York Times, you might not have full Games access. The Times has priced a Games subscription separate from its news, which costs $6 a month. There are annual sign-up options that could save you money, totaling about $50 a year. You also might see different promotional options or introductory sales on occasion.

Some puzzles are still free

Though some puzzles are still free (see below), the fee for full Games access comes shortly after the New York Times added another online game, Pips, a form of dominoes.

«We now offer 10 distinct puzzles, a rich and diverse portfolio that reflects both the breadth of gameplay and the depth of experiences our team of puzzle editors and constructors has built,» a spokesperson for the Times told me in a statement. «With several games remaining free to play for all, our portfolio features a dynamic mix of free puzzles and subscriber-only offerings, creating opportunities for every kind of solver to engage with us, every day of the week.»

Obviously, the newspaper has to pay its puzzle constructors, editors and journalists. The old saying about how there’s no free lunch applies to games as well.

«Subscribers not only support our journalism but help us keep making the high-quality puzzles people love to play,» the statement said. «While we hope solvers will see the value in subscribing, we’re committed to ensuring there’s still a rich and enjoyable experience for those who don’t.»

These New York Times puzzles are still free to nonsubscribers:

Also, nonsubscribers have limited access to Spelling Bee, the puzzle that lets you make words out of certain letters. That puzzle allows non-Games subscribers to play up to a certain point number, then requires a subscription to keep playing.

Your library is your friend

If you just can’t afford a Games subscription, log in to your local public library.

I’m in Seattle, and the Seattle Public Library offers library cardholders free online access to its expanded New York Times subscription, which includes Games access and access to other Times divisions, such as Cooking and The Athletic.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for March 15, #538

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for March 15, No. 538.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today is Selection Sunday, and the Connections: Sports Edition puzzle is all about the NCAA basketball tournament. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Oops!

Green group hint: Not the second word.

Blue group hint: They direct the team.

Purple group hint: They made it to the Big Dance.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Basketball fouls.

Green group: First words in NCAA tournament rounds.

Blue group: Women’s college basketball coaches.

Purple group: Teams qualified for the 2026 Men’s NCAA tournament.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball fouls. The four answers are block, charge, hold and reach-in.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is first words in NCAA tournament rounds. The four answers are elite, final, second and sweet.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is women’s college basketball coaches. The four answers are Auriemma, Close, Ivey and Staley.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is teams qualified for the 2026 Men’s NCAA tournament. The four answers are Gonzaga, High Point, Queens and Troy.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Sunday, March 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 15.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Today’s wasn’t terribly tough, but read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: On-call doctor’s device
Answer: PAGER

6A clue: Amazon virtual assistant
Answer: ALEXA

7A clue: Host of the 2026 Oscars
Answer: CONAN

8A clue: Stumped on a puzzle, say
Answer: STUCK

9A clue: Aves. and blvds.
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Election-influencing groups, for short
Answer: PACS

2D clue: Quite a few
Answer: ALOT

3D clue: The «Tyrannosaurus» of Tyrannosaurus rex
Answer: GENUS

4D clue: Right on
Answer: EXACT

5D clue: Puts in order from best to worst, maybe
Answer: RANKS

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for March 15, #1008

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for March 15, No. 1,008

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s NYT Connections puzzle is kind of tough, but the yellow category has some fun options in it. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Mine, all mine!

Green group hint: A part you might use to build something.

Blue group hint: Blended words.

Purple group hint: Not a cow, but close.