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Friday, 23 October 2026 · Evening editionToronto ⛅ 12°CCAD/USD 0.7145 · CAD/EUR 0.6384About UsOur TeamSourcesContactNewsletter

New York Times Crossword Free — Free Daily NYT Puzzle in Your Browser

If you’re a fan of The New York Times, here’s a free 5×5 mini you can solve in your browser — no app, no paywall, no sign-up. Our daily mini is a hand-curated 5×5 grid with a small built-in Check button, optional letter or word reveal, and a quiet on-page timer.

NYT · 5×5 mini

New York Times Crossword Free

5 × 5 Free · No app 00:00

A classic 5×5 word square: every row also reads as a word down its column.

Across

  1. 1 Cardiologist’s patient (5)
  2. 6 Dying coal (5)
  3. 7 Bullying, broadly (5)
  4. 8 Pine sap (5)
  5. 9 What’s hot online (5)

Down

  1. 1 City core (5)
  2. 2 Fire remnant (5)
  3. 3 Trust violation (5)
  4. 4 Amber raw stuff (5)
  5. 5 Viral wave (5)

How to play

Click any white cell to start typing. Press Space or Tab to switch between Across and Down. The Check button marks wrong letters in red without revealing the right ones; Reveal letter fills the current cell if you’re stuck on a single square. Your progress isn’t sent anywhere — it stays in your browser.

About NYT crosswords

Will Shortz has edited the New York Times crossword since 1993 and is the most influential constructor-editor in the modern history of the puzzle. The free 5×5 mini debuted in 2014 inside the NYT Crossword app and quickly became a daily-habit puzzle for millions of solvers. Civic Maple isn’t affiliated with the NYT — our daily mini sits beside it, free to play and equally bite-sized.

You can find the official NYT crossword over at www.nytimes.com. Our daily mini is a separate, independent puzzle — same five-minute format, free.

Tips for a quick solve

  • Start with the across clues that look easiest. A single confident letter usually unlocks two downs.
  • Vowels first. E and A are by far the most common letters in 5×5 minis; Q, X and Z almost never appear.
  • Use Check, don’t guess. The Check button is free and won’t penalise you.
  • Switch direction with Space. Faster than clicking around.

About today’s puzzle

Today’s grid is the punchy clue set on a classic 5×5 word square. Every row also reads as a word when you read it down its column — a tighter construction than most daily minis and a satisfying warm-up before you tackle a cryptic.

More crosswords on Civic Maple