Need help with the Thursday, December 11, 2025, NYT Mini? Start with the letter hints below; the complete across and down answers are in a separate, clearly marked spoiler section.
Letter hints for the December 11, 2025, puzzle
Each hint reveals just one starting or ending letter. Clues are grouped by direction and numbered as they appear in the puzzle.
Across
- 1. Painter’s protective garment — starts with S.
- 6. “Toy Story 5” studio — ends with R.
- 7. Your answer to “Where were you at 9 p.m. last night?,” perhaps — starts with A.
- 8. Tennis star Rafael — starts with N.
- 9. Solemn sound from a church bell — ends with L.
Down
- 1. Defeat soundly, in slang — ends with K.
- 2. Italian city with a fashion week — ends with N.
- 3. Iron ___ (rust) — starts with O.
- 4. Small group of conspirators — ends with L.
- 5. Food for a baleen whale — starts with K.
Full answer key (spoilers)
Stop here if you want to solve the grid before seeing the complete entries.
Across
- SMOCK — Painter’s protective garment
- PIXAR — “Toy Story 5” studio
- ALIBI — Your answer to “Where were you at 9 p.m. last night?,” perhaps
- NADAL — Tennis star Rafael
- KNELL — Solemn sound from a church bell
Down
- SPANK — Defeat soundly, in slang
- MILAN — Italian city with a fashion week
- OXIDE — Iron ___ (rust)
- CABAL — Small group of conspirators
- KRILL — Food for a baleen whale
Source note
The dated answer key and letter hints are reported by Parade’s December 11, 2025 NYT Mini coverage; the clue list and letter patterns also appear on The Word Finder’s dated puzzle page. These are third-party sources; an official NYT archive confirming this grid was not established.
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