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Mini #318 · Friday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — August 14, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #318, our own daily mini crossword. Looking for the New York Times Mini? That’s a different puzzle, published on nytimes.com.

Play puzzle firstAnswer key
All hints
10 clues
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Across

1 Across: Bills and coinsHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you carry in your wallet to buy things.
  2. Hint 2: This is physical money, as opposed to a check or card payment.
  3. Hint 3: Paper money and coins together; starts with C.
5 Across: The remaining oneHint
  1. Hint 1: This word points to whatever is left after everything else is accounted for.
  2. Hint 2: If you have two options and one is chosen, this word describes the one left over.
  3. Hint 3: Means the remaining or alternative one; starts with O.
7 Across: Jet that flies through the skyHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a way to travel long distances quickly through the air.
  2. Hint 2: This is the vehicle you'd board at an airport gate for a flight.
  3. Hint 3: A powered aircraft; starts with P.
8 Across: Makes money at a jobHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what happens to your paycheck when you work.
  2. Hint 2: This is the verb for receiving wages from your job.
  3. Hint 3: Means to gain income through work; starts with E.
9 Across: ChairHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of furniture you sit on.
  2. Hint 2: This is a single piece of furniture meant for one person to sit in.
  3. Hint 3: A place to sit, like at a table; starts with S.

Down

1 Down: Deal with a tough situationHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about how you handle stress or difficulty.
  2. Hint 2: This verb means to manage or handle a hard situation successfully.
  3. Hint 3: Means to deal effectively with something hard; starts with C.
2 Down: Book of mapsHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a resource used for navigation and geography class.
  2. Hint 2: This is a bound collection of maps you might flip through to find a country's location.
  3. Hint 3: A book full of maps; starts with A.
3 Down: Portion, or to divide fairlyHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about splitting something evenly among friends.
  2. Hint 2: This word can mean a piece of something, or the act of giving out portions equally.
  3. Hint 3: Means a portion, or to divide fairly; starts with S.
4 Down: Reddish dye for temporary tattoosHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a natural dye often used for temporary body art.
  2. Hint 2: This reddish-brown plant-based dye is popular for temporary tattoos, especially in South Asian traditions.
  3. Hint 3: A reddish dye used for temporary tattoos; starts with H.
6 Down: Take a breakHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you do when you're tired and need a pause.
  2. Hint 2: This word means to relax or stop working for a while to recover energy.
  3. Hint 3: Means to pause and relax; starts with R.

Use hints slowly

Reveal the first hint, try the grid again, then come back only if the crossing letters still do not move.

See answers

Before you open a hint

Mini #318 has ten clues, so this page holds 30 hints. Hint 1 points you at the idea, hint 2 narrows it down, and hint 3 all but gives it away. On this date, all ten third hints name the answer's first letter.

Short answers have the fewest possible fills, so they make a good start. The four-letter slots are 1-Across, 9-Across, 1-Down and 6-Down; the five-letter slots are 5-Across, 7-Across, 8-Across, 2-Down, 3-Down and 4-Down.

Clues to try first

None of the ten clues is a fill-in-the-blank, a quotation, a question-mark clue or a marked short form. Read each one as a plain definition first. The shortest clue is 9-Across, “Chair”, at one word; the longest is 7-Across, “Jet that flies through the sky”, at six words.

More for August 14, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #318. When you're done, the answer key reveals one answer at a time, and the printable copy is there for paper solvers. The day before, Mini #317 (August 13, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Luxury German cars, in the plural”; the day after, Mini #319 (August 15, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Composer of ‘The Well-Tempered Clavier’”.

August 14, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the August 14, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own August 14, 2026 puzzle, with three hints each, from a gentle nudge to a strong push. The answers themselves are on the answer key page.
Is this the NYT Mini hints page?
No. This is an independent daily mini crossword. It is not affiliated with, authorized by, sponsored by, or endorsed by The New York Times.
What is the difference between hints and the answer key?
Hints move you toward the answer one step at a time so you can still solve it yourself. If you want to see a solution outright, the answer key at /answers/2026-08-14 reveals one answer at a time.