NYT Mini Crossword #Daily
NYT Mini Crossword Answers for May 11, 2026
This archive page preserves the NYT Mini Crossword guide for May 11, 2026. Review the completed clues and answer logic after solving.
Current daily puzzle
Updated for
Guidance bridge
This archive guide reviews the completed Mini Crossword for May 11, 2026. Use it to revisit the across and down clues, answer logic, and tricky entries after the puzzle is solved.
Archive Snapshot
- Date
- May 11, 2026
- Across clues
- 5
- Down clues
- 5
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Hardest clue
- 6 Across
- Answers
- Answers included below
Why 6 Acrossis the hardest clue in today's NYT Mini Crossword
6 Across is the hardest clue because it depends on recognizing a Shakespeare reference. The clue quotes Macbeth, where the raven is associated with Duncan's fatal entrance, so the answer is not just any dark bird but the specific bird from the line.
How to Start Today's Mini Crossword
Solve the direct body, insect, and casual-drink clues first. Then use the crossings to settle the Shakespeare bird.
Mini Crossword Archive: Across Clues
Open these spoiler-light prompts before checking the answer list.
1 Across
Itty-bitty insect
This tiny flying insect often appears in short crossword grids.
5 Across
"Excellent job!"
Think of a theatrical shout of approval.
6 Across
Bird that "croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan," in "Macbeth"
This dark bird is named in the Shakespeare line.
7 Across
Each and ___
Complete the common phrase meaning all of them.
8 Across
Swollen mark
This can appear after a bump, bite, or blow.
Mini Crossword Archive: Down Clues
Open these spoiler-light prompts before checking the answer list.
1 Down
Deathly serious
This word can mean solemn or very serious.
2 Down
Belly button
Use the anatomical term.
3 Down
Prevent, as a crisis
Think of stopping something before it happens.
4 Down
___ the Tiger, mascot of Frosted Flakes
This cereal mascot says the flakes are great.
5 Down
Beer, informally
Use a casual word for beer.
Mini Crossword Archive: Solve Checks
Use these quick checks before opening the full answer list.
- Do the Across answers form common short Mini entries?
- Does RAVEN fit both the Shakespeare clue and the crossings?
- Have you treated AVERT as a verb meaning prevent?
- Are all answers stored uppercase without punctuation?
What Matters in This Puzzle
The grid opens with direct entries
GNAT, NAVEL, WELT, TONY, and BREW provide stable crossings without much wordplay.
RAVEN is the knowledge clue
The Macbeth quotation is the only clue that depends strongly on literary familiarity.
GRAVE has two useful senses
Here GRAVE is an adjective meaning deathly serious, not the burial-place noun.
Post-game archive analysis
May 11, 2026 NYT Mini Crossword Clue Breakdown
This archive page shows the completed across and down answers with short explanations, so it works as a review page rather than a live spoiler-light hint page.
Across Answers
1 Across
GNAT
Clue: Itty-bitty insect
A GNAT is an itty-bitty insect.
5 Across
BRAVO
Clue: "Excellent job!"
BRAVO is an exclamation used to praise an excellent performance or job.
6 Across
RAVEN
Clue: Bird that "croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan," in "Macbeth"
In Macbeth, the RAVEN is the bird described as croaking Duncan's fatal entrance.
7 Across
EVERY
Clue: Each and ___
Each and EVERY is a common phrase meaning every single one.
8 Across
WELT
Clue: Swollen mark
A WELT is a swollen mark on the skin.
Down Answers
1 Down
GRAVE
Clue: Deathly serious
GRAVE means solemn, serious, or deathly in tone.
2 Down
NAVEL
Clue: Belly button
NAVEL is the anatomical word for belly button.
3 Down
AVERT
Clue: Prevent, as a crisis
To AVERT a crisis is to prevent it.
4 Down
TONY
Clue: ___ the Tiger, mascot of Frosted Flakes
TONY the Tiger is the Frosted Flakes mascot.
5 Down
BREW
Clue: Beer, informally
BREW is an informal word for beer.
How This Mini Crossword Archive Puzzle Works
The May 11 Mini is mostly direct. GNAT, BRAVO, EVERY, WELT, GRAVE, NAVEL, AVERT, TONY, and BREW all follow familiar clue-answer logic. RAVEN is the one entry that raises the difficulty because it asks solvers to recognize a Macbeth quotation rather than infer from a plain definition. Once the crossings are in place, the literary clue resolves cleanly.
Caution Notes
Do not overthink BRAVO
The clue is just asking for a common praise word.
Use crossings for the Shakespeare clue
If the quote is unfamiliar, the surrounding short answers make RAVEN much easier to confirm.
Previous and Next Day
Compare today's clue logic with neighboring Mini Crossword guides.