Looking for the NYT Mini Crossword answers for Friday, October 2, 2026? The puzzle is described by answer guides as a 5×5 grid with five Across and five Down entries. If you want to avoid spoilers, start with the hints below; the complete key follows.
Hints for the October 2 Mini
These clues point toward the answers without revealing the full grid:
- Across: Think of what Cheetos leave on a finger; an astonished exclamation; a country associated in the clue with early paper money; a word meaning “very”; and the place marked by “You Are” on a mall map.
- Down: A Google document service; an informal repeated affirmative; an action on a dating app; powder used in a printer; and a suffix that can follow “silver” or “glass.”
Full answer key
Spoilers below. The answer list is reported by Parade’s October 2 answer page; the clue set and 5×5 grid description are also listed by Try Hard Guides.
Across
- 1A: Finger covering after eating Cheetos — DUST
- 5A: “That’s amazing!” — OHWOW
- 7A: First country to use paper money, way back in the 7th century — CHINA
- 8A: Extremely, extra, very — SUPER
- 9A: Where “You Are,” on a mall map — HERE
Down
- 1D: Google ___ — DOCS
- 2D: Yup, yup, yup — UHHUH
- 3D: Dating app action — SWIPE
- 4D: Printer powder — TONER
- 6D: Suffix with silver or glass — WARE
About this answer list
The date in this article is Friday, October 2, 2026; “today” in a crossword lookup can become ambiguous once the publication date has passed. The listed answers come from third-party guides rather than an NYT-hosted solution page, so the key is supported by secondary coverage.
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