What is a mini crossword?

Where the daily mini came from

The New York Times Company says it launched The Mini on 21 August 2014 as a 5×5, created and edited by Joel Fagliano. The same anniversary note says solvers finished it nearly 3 billion times in the first ten years, and it calls the puzzle a rewarding minute. This is a dated company figure for the first decade, not a monthly audience count.

Other newsrooms now publish their own small grids. Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, The Guardian, and USA Today each describe a short daily puzzle, but they do not share one rulebook.

What is stable, and what is not

The stable part is the shape: white squares, black squares, numbered clues, letters that must satisfy two words at once. The unstable part is the business model. The Times puzzle now asks for a subscription. The Guardian says its puzzles are free without an account. Those are both true, and they are not the same product.

This site’s puzzle is an original 5×5 in that shared shape. It is not a reprint of any of those grids.

How many clues does a mini have?

Often about ten, five across and five down, on a 5×5. Some days and some publishers differ. Boston Globe uses a 7×7 on Sunday.

Is a mini easier than a Sunday crossword?

It is shorter. Easy is not the same as short. A 5×5 can still have a tricky clue.

When did the Times mini start?

21 August 2014, according to the Times company anniversary note.