The New York Times Mini Crossword for Friday, July 4, 2025 has ten answers: five Across and five Down. The year matters. The Mini published on July 4, 2026 fell on a Saturday and is a different puzzle, so confirm the date before you compare grids.
Hints before the answers
If you want to try the grid first, read these clues and fill in the words yourself before scrolling to the full key.
Across
- 1. Uncle ___
- 4. It’s full of stars
- 6. It’s full of stripes
- 7. Month when the American Revolutionary War began
- 8. 4th of July sales promotions, e.g.
Down
- 1. Big brand of hummus
- 2. Foul-smelling
- 3. Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- 4. Singer who performed “All the Stars” at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show
- 5. Lively energy
Full answer key
Spoilers follow. The table lists each clue with its answer.
| Direction | No. | Clue | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Across | 1 | Uncle ___ | SAM |
| Across | 4 | It’s full of stars | SPACE |
| Across | 6 | It’s full of stripes | ZEBRA |
| Across | 7 | Month when the American Revolutionary War began | APRIL |
| Across | 8 | 4th of July sales promotions, e.g. | ADS |
| Down | 1 | Big brand of hummus | SABRA |
| Down | 2 | Foul-smelling | ACRID |
| Down | 3 | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | MEALS |
| Down | 4 | Singer who performed “All the Stars” at Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show | SZA |
| Down | 5 | Lively energy | PEP |
Forbes (Paul Tassi, published July 3, 2025) and Parade (Choya Johnson, published July 3, 2025) list the same ten answers for this puzzle.
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Playing or revisiting the puzzle
The official New York Times Help Center says the Mini is played in the New York Times Games app, on the NYT crossword website, or in the News app. Subscribers can solve past Mini puzzles in the archive. Older coverage described the Mini as free to play, but the current help page ties access to a subscription that includes Games, and NYT’s Games subscription page lists The Mini Crossword among its contents.
The daily Mini is released the evening before its publish date. According to the help page, weekday and Saturday editions become available at 10 p.m. EST the previous day, and Sunday editions at 6 p.m. EST on Saturday.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Using the in-game lifesaver
The help page also describes a lifesaver tool inside the game that can check or reveal a single square, a single answer, or the full puzzle. That tool works within the game itself. The key above is a separate reference you can use without opening the puzzle.
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