Skip to main content
Mini #358 · Wednesday

Our Mini Crossword Hints — September 23, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #358, 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
Spoiler-light

Across

1 Across: A soak in the tubHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about a common way people relax and get clean at home.
  2. Hint 2: This is what you take when you fill a tub with warm water and soak.
  3. Hint 3: A wash in a tub of water, starts with B.
5 Across: Old MacDonald's refrainHint
  1. Hint 1: This comes from a well-known children's song about a farm.
  2. Hint 2: It's the repeated nonsense chorus sung between the animal sounds in that song.
  3. Hint 3: The classic sing-song refrain from the farm song, starts with E.
6 Across: Making use ofHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes putting something to work for a purpose.
  2. Hint 2: It's the verb form of 'to use,' meaning employing or utilizing something.
  3. Hint 3: Employing or utilizing something, starts with U.
7 Across: What a plant grows undergroundHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about the part of a plant you don't see above the soil.
  2. Hint 2: These are the underground parts that anchor a plant and absorb water and nutrients.
  3. Hint 3: The underground parts of a plant, starts with R.
8 Across: Burden or responsibilityHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes a duty or weight someone has to carry.
  2. Hint 2: It's a formal word for a responsibility or obligation placed on someone.
  3. Hint 3: A burden or duty, starts with O.

Down

1 Down: Large shaggy plains animalHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of a big, furry animal that once roamed the American plains in huge herds.
  2. Hint 2: It's a shaggy, horned mammal closely associated with the American prairie.
  3. Hint 3: A large shaggy plains mammal, starts with B.
2 Down: The vowels, in orderHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a simple list you probably learned early in school.
  2. Hint 2: Think of the letters A, E, I, O, and U all put together in sequence.
  3. Hint 3: The vowels listed in order, starts with A.
3 Down: Shades of colorHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about subtle variations you might see on a paint color chart.
  2. Hint 2: These are slight variations or gradations of a particular hue.
  3. Hint 3: Light variations of color, starts with T.
4 Down: Farm animals that love mudHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of barnyard animals known for wallowing in the dirt.
  2. Hint 2: These pink farm animals are famous for rolling around in mud to cool off.
  3. Hint 3: Farm animals that enjoy mud, starts with H.
5 Down: Currency used in France and GermanyHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about the money used across much of Europe today.
  2. Hint 2: This is the shared currency adopted by many European Union countries, including France and Germany.
  3. Hint 3: The shared European currency, starts with E.

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 #358 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, 8-Across, 4-Down and 5-Down; the five-letter slots are 5-Across, 6-Across, 7-Across, 1-Down, 2-Down and 3-Down.

Clues to try first

  • Some clues lean on a name or title, such as 5-Across, “Old MacDonald's refrain” and 5-Down, “Currency used in France and Germany”; if one is unfamiliar, work its crossing answers first.

More for September 23, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #358. 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 #357 (September 22, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Enthusiastic, like a big fan”; the day after, Mini #359 (September 24, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Flying mammals of the night”.

September 23, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the September 23, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own September 23, 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/2026-09-23 reveals one answer at a time.