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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe Monday, September 22, 2025 NYT Mini Crossword has a full answer key, and every clue in the grid begins with the letter B. The revealer is BEES, which is clued as both “busy buzzers” and as the letters that start every clue. This is the 2025 puzzle, not the one dated September 22, 2026, which falls on a Tuesday.
Full answer key
The answers below match two independent answer write-ups: Forbes, published September 21, 2025, and All Things How, published September 23, 2025. Both list the same ten entries.
Across
| Number | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Across | Barker who hosted “The Price Is Right” | BOB |
| 4-Across | (Base × height) / 2, for a triangle | AREA |
| 6-Across | Bouncy toys in a playroom | BALLS |
| 8-Across | Budget for | ALLOT |
| 9-Across | Busy buzzers … and letters found at the start of every clue in this puzzle | BEES |
Down
| Number | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1-Down | Baked dessert soaked in rum | BABA |
| 2-Down | Big name in dental products | ORAL B (entered as ORALB) |
| 3-Down | “Beauty and the Beast” protagonist | BELLE |
| 5-Down | Balm ingredient with soothing properties | ALOE |
| 7-Down | Bourbon and Beale: Abbr. | STS |
How the B theme works
Each clue’s first word starts with B, and BEES at 9-Across spells that out in its own clue. Once you notice the pattern, the most common B answers are good entry points: BOB, BEES, and BABA are short, familiar, and cross several other entries, so they supply letters for the rest of the grid. The 2-Down entry is the one most likely to trip solvers, because the grid takes ORALB without a space.
Where this key comes from
This key comes from third-party answer write-ups, not from a check of the live puzzle page. The NYT Mini can be played on the New York Times website or in the NYT Games app. Forbes reports that archived puzzles require an NYT Games subscription; that access term may have changed since September 2025, so confirm it on the Games site before relying on it.
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If you are solving a puzzle from a different date, check the date in the puzzle header against the title before using any key, since the Mini publishes a new grid every day.
Use the key only after you have tried the puzzle yourself. The B-theme hint is a fair place to start, and the 9-Across revealer gives you the logic without giving away the rest of the grid.
Quick Recap
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