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The September 7 NYT Mini Crossword mixes tools, board games, and wedding style into one tight grid.
Monday's puzzle carries ten total clues across the board.
A few entries lean on wordplay tucked inside common phrases.
Monday brings another round of the NYT Mini Crossword, and September 7, 2026, arrives with a fresh batch of clues. The tiny grid stays familiar in shape but never repeats itself. A new set of answers waits inside, pulling from tools, games, fashion, and everyday phrases.
The Mini format keeps solving quick. Most solvers finish within a couple of minutes. Still, a single unfamiliar clue can stall even a sharp guesser. Careful reading of each phrase usually unlocks the trickier squares.
Ten clues fill today's grid. Five run across, and five drop down. The answers stretch from a common workshop tool to a strategy-game resource. Anyone stuck on a tricky square can check the full breakdown below for the NYT Mini Crossword Answers for September 7.
The across row opens with a hardware item, moves through chess trivia, then lands on music and relaxation.
1A: Tool with teeth
SAW
The answer is SAW. A saw carries a row of sharp teeth along its blade, built for cutting through wood and other materials. The clue plays on the literal teeth found on the tool's edge.
4A: Number of rows on a chessboard
EIGHT
The answer is EIGHT. A standard chessboard holds eight rows and eight columns, forming the familiar 64-square layout. The clue rewards basic knowledge of the game's setup.
6A: Common Wordle starting word
ADIEU
The answer is ADIEU. Many Wordle players open with ADIEU because it packs four vowels into five letters, helping narrow down the daily puzzle fast. The clue nods to one popular word-game strategy.
7A: Kick back
RELAX
The answer is RELAX. The phrase "kick back" describes easing into a calm, unhurried state, and RELAX captures that same idea directly. The clue stays simple but fits the laid-back tone well.
8A: Band's grouping of songs
SET
The answer is SET. A musical group often performs a SET, meaning a planned sequence of songs played during one show. The clue uses music terminology in a straightforward way.
The down section shifts into food pairings, athletic ability, board-game resources, anatomy and formal wear.
1D: French fries and coleslaw, for two
SIDES
The answer is SIDES. Both French fries and coleslaw commonly appear as SIDES alongside a main dish at a meal. The clue groups two familiar menu items under one shared category.
2D: Fleet of foot
AGILE
The answer is AGILE. Someone described as fleet of foot moves with speed and coordination, and AGILE captures that same quick, nimble quality. The clue leans on a classic descriptive phrase.
3D: Resource in the game Catan
WHEAT
The answer is WHEAT. Players collect WHEAT as one of the core resources in the board game Catan, using it to build settlements and roads. The clue rewards familiarity with popular tabletop games.
4D: Body part in the heart of "heart"
EAR
The answer is EAR. The letters E-A-R sit right in the middle of the word "heart," giving this clue its clever hidden-word twist. The wordplay turns a simple body part into a small puzzle within a puzzle.
5D: Attire for a black-tie wedding
TUX
The answer is TUX. A black-tie wedding calls for formal dress, and a TUX remains the standard choice for guests and grooms alike. The clue ties fashion knowledge to a common event.
The September 7 NYT Mini puzzle packs variety into five rows. Tools appear through SAW. Game knowledge shows up twice, first with EIGHT for chess and again with WHEAT for Catan. Music enters through SET, while ADIEU nods to word-game culture outside the crossword itself.
Food pairing brings SIDES into play, and RELAX keeps the tone light. AGILE adds a burst of physical description, while TUX rounds things out with formal style. EAR stands apart from the rest, since the answer hides inside another word rather than defining a term outright. That hidden-word trick often catches solvers off guard, since the clue reads like straightforward anatomy at first glance.
The NYT Mini Crossword sticks to its 5x5 grid, built for a short but engaging session. Small size does not guarantee an easy solve. A handful of letters can support more than one reasonable answer, especially with clues that lean on wordplay.
A new grid drops daily, carrying a different blend of references each time. That daily reset keeps the format from feeling stale, even with such a small canvas to work with.
Today's mix spans chess, board games, music, and formal fashion, all inside ten clues. The down answers add hidden wordplay and quick descriptive terms, rounding out a puzzle that rewards both general knowledge and careful reading. Tomorrow brings a brand-new NYT Mini Crossword, ready with another fresh set of clues and answers to solve.
