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Today's NYT Mini Crossword mixes wordplay, geography, astronomy, and everyday phrases in a quick five-by-five puzzle.
The paired "Piece of cake" clues deliver the puzzle's smartest twist.
Complete hints and answers help maintain the daily solving streak.
The Mini Crossword keeps its daily routine simple: five across clues, five down clues, and just enough friction to make solving satisfying. Today's puzzle pulls from a wide net of idioms, astronomy, geography, wedding customs, and a bit of Scottish flavor. None of the clues run especially deep, but a couple ask you to think sideways before the answer clicks.
Here are the hints first, for anyone chasing a streak who wants a nudge before the full reveal.
1 Across: "Piece of cake!"
Ans: EASY
This one leans on the idiom rather than the dessert. "Piece of cake" is shorthand for something requiring almost no effort.
5 Across: Piece of cake
Ans: SLICE
Same three words, opposite meaning. Here, the puzzle wants the literal wedge you'd cut from an actual cake.
6 Across: Centers of stars
Ans: CORES
Every star burns from the inside out. The core is where fusion happens and where most of a star's energy gets generated.
7 Across: Like a bar with free drinks
Ans: OPEN
An open bar covers the tab for guests, usually at a wedding or a company party, so nobody's reaching for their wallet.
8 Across: Word repeated during a mic check
Ans: TEST
"Test, test" is about as universal a soundcheck phrase as it gets, whether you're at a wedding toast or a concert venue.
Also Read: NYT Mini Crossword Brings Another Fun Set of Clues and Answers for July 13, 2026
1 Down: Run away to get married
Ans: ELOPE
Eloping means skipping the guest list, the seating chart, and the whole production in favor of a quiet, often spontaneous wedding.
2 Down: Buenos ___, Argentina
Ans: AIRES
Buenos Aires is Argentina's capital, and this fill-in-the-blank is one of the gentler clues in today's grid.
3 Down: Distinctive smell
Ans: SCENT
A scent is memorable enough to place, whether it's perfume, fresh bread, or rain on pavement.
4 Down: R.S.V.P. option
Ans: YES
Short and to the point. This is the answer every host hopes to see when invitations go out.
5 Down: Kilt wearer
Ans: SCOT
Kilts are tied closely to Scottish tradition, so a Scot is the natural fit here.
The real standout is the 1 Across and 5 Across pairing. Both clues read as Piece of cake, but land in completely different places, one as slang for effortless, the other as an actual dessert. It's a small trick, but it's the kind of moment that makes today's Mini fun to solve even on a slow news day.
Beyond that wordplay, today's grid touches astronomy with CORES, geography with AIRES, wedding vocabulary with ELOPE and OPEN, and a nod to Scottish culture with SCOT. Nothing overly obscure, just enough variety to keep five clues from feeling repetitive.
If the Mini isn't enough puzzle for one day, NYT Games also runs Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition, Strands, Sudoku, Spelling Bee, and the standard crossword. A new Mini lands tomorrow with a fresh set of clues.
Also Read: NYT Wordle Hints and Answers for July 13, 2026: Strategy & Expert Walkthrough
