Here are the clues and answers for the Thursday, June 12, 2025 NYT Mini Crossword, plus the puzzle’s central hint: the circled entries contain the letters AI.
Thursday, June 12, 2025 NYT Mini answers
These clues and answers are reported in Erik Kain’s June 11, 2025, Forbes guide. Answers are grouped by direction and numbered as they appear in the grid.
Across
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1A. “___ chi” | TAI |
| 4A. “Financially compensated” | PAID |
| 5A. “Some things off the top of your head?” | HAIRS |
| 6A. “Feels sick” | AILS |
| 7A. “___ Peacock, character in Clue” | MRS |
Down
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1D. “Coin flip call” | TAILS |
| 2D. “Shows on TV” | AIRS |
| 3D. “Requests at the bar, informally” | ILLS |
| 4D. “Decent poker holding” | PAIR |
| 5D. “Person who loves attention” | HAM |
The circled-letter pattern
The guide identifies AI as the shared letters in the circled entries. TAI and PAID make the pattern visible; recognizing it can help with the other circled answers, HAIRS and AILS. The circles are a hint within the grid, rather than an additional answer to enter.
What to know about access
Kain’s June 2025 guide said the Mini was free to play on the web or in the app and that the app was needed to access the archive. Those are date-specific access details, not a guarantee of current availability or terms. See the Forbes guide for the original dated report.
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