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Mini #404 · Sunday

Our Mini Crossword Hints: November 8, 2026

Step-by-step hints for Mini #404, 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: Birthday presentHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you might receive wrapped in paper on your special day.
  2. Hint 2: It's something given to celebrate an occasion, often with a bow on top.
  3. Hint 3: A thing given to someone, often wrapped: starts with G.
5 Across: U.S. state known for its salt flatsHint
  1. Hint 1: This clue is about U.S. geography.
  2. Hint 2: Think of the Great Salt Lake and a famous desert landscape in the western U.S.
  3. Hint 3: A western state famous for its salt flats: starts with U.
6 Across: Device that measures parking timeHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about something you'd see on a city street near parked cars.
  2. Hint 2: It's the coin-fed device that tells you how much time you have left before a ticket.
  3. Hint 3: A device that tracks how long a car has been parked: starts with M.
8 Across: Affectionate name for momHint
  1. Hint 1: This is a cozy, informal word for a parent.
  2. Hint 2: It's what a young child might call their mother affectionately.
  3. Hint 3: A warm, childlike term for mother: starts with M.
9 Across: A whole bunchHint
  1. Hint 1: This clue describes a large quantity of something.
  2. Hint 2: It's an informal way to say 'a lot' or 'tons' of something.
  3. Hint 3: A big amount or number of things: starts with S.

Down

1 Down: Chewy treat for fresh breathHint
  1. Hint 1: Think of something you'd chew after a meal to freshen your breath.
  2. Hint 2: It's a stretchy treat popular in sticks or small square pieces.
  3. Hint 3: A chewable breath-freshening treat: starts with G.
2 Down: Things on a shopping listHint
  1. Hint 1: Think about what you'd write down before heading to the grocery store.
  2. Hint 2: These are the individual products or goods you plan to buy.
  3. Hint 3: Things listed as things to purchase: starts with I.
3 Down: DeadlyHint
  1. Hint 1: This word describes something very serious, often involving danger.
  2. Hint 2: It's used to describe something that can cause death.
  3. Hint 3: Something lethal or deadly: starts with F.
4 Down: Central topic of an essayHint
  1. Hint 1: This word relates to writing and the main idea of a piece.
  2. Hint 2: It's the central subject or message that a piece of writing focuses on.
  3. Hint 3: The main idea or subject of an essay: starts with T.
7 Down: Not yet cookedHint
  1. Hint 1: This describes food in its uncooked state.
  2. Hint 2: Think of sushi or a salad, not heated or prepared with fire.
  3. Hint 3: Describes food that hasn't been cooked yet: 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 #404 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 three-letter slots are 1-Down and 7-Down; the four-letter slots are 1-Across, 5-Across, 8-Across and 9-Across; the five-letter slots are 6-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 3-Down, “Deadly”, at one word; the longest is 5-Across, “U.S. state known for its salt flats”, at seven words.

More for November 8, 2026

Rather see the grid first? Play Mini #404. 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 #403 (November 7, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “‘For your information,’ in a memo”; the day after, Mini #405 (November 9, 2026), opens with 1-Across, “Young woman, informally”.

November 8, 2026 Mini Crossword hints FAQ

Are these hints for the November 8, 2026 Mini Crossword?
Yes. Every clue on this page is from our own November 8, 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/2026-11-08 reveals one answer at a time.