NYT Mini Crossword Answers and Hints for Friday, Nov. 6, 2026: A Wide Grid, Graded Clues

Joel Fagliano wrote the 11 clues in the New York Times (NYT) Mini Crossword for Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, and the grid is wider than the usual square. Three of the Across clues sound like report-card questions but are not. Each hint below opens with a tap, and the answers stay at the bottom in a marked spoiler section.

Hints for every clue

Across

• 1-Across (4 letters), Took legal action against

  the past tense of a word for filing a lawsuit; it starts with S and ends with D.

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  Sued
• 5-Across (5 letters), An “F” in Physics?

  the push or pull that is measured in newtons; it starts with F and ends with E.

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  Force
• 6-Across (6 letters), A “C” in Chemistry?

  the element whose chemical symbol is the quoted letter; it starts with C and ends with N.

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  Carbon
• 7-Across (4 letters), An “A” in Geometry?

  how much flat surface a shape covers; it starts and ends with A.

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  Area
• 8-Across (4 letters), “Feel the ___” (2010s political slogan)

  the blank is a short form of a first name; it starts with B and ends with N.

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  Bern

Down

• 1-Down (5 letters), More achy

  the comparative form of a word for tender, aching muscles; it starts with S and ends with R.

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  Sorer
• 2-Down (5 letters), Rural’s opposite

  an adjective for anything to do with cities; it starts with U and ends with N.

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  Urban
• 3-Down (3 letters), Shorthand for things that are green

  a clipped prefix for the environment, as in friendly products; it starts with E and ends with O.

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  Eco
• 4-Down (3 letters), Where a bear hibernates in the winter

  a sheltered animal lair; it starts with D and ends with N.

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  Den
• 5-Down (4 letters), Cost of a 6-Down

  the price a rider pays for a trip; it starts with F and ends with E.

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  Fare
• 6-Down (3 letters), Traditionally, it’s black in London and yellow in New York City

  a hired car with a meter, shortened to three letters; it starts with C and ends with B.

  Show the answer

  Cab

Three grades, three subjects

The middle of Friday’s Across list holds a run of clues that all share one trick. 5-Across, 6-Across and 7-Across each print a capital letter in quotes, then “in” and a school subject: Physics, Chemistry, Geometry. The letters F, C and A look like grades, and that is the bait. In each clue the letter is meant as the symbol or abbreviation that people in that subject use for something, so the question is what the letter stands for in a physics, chemistry or geometry class.

One check helps with all three: each answer starts with the quoted letter. The lengths also differ, at 5, 6 and 4 letters, so the grid tells you which clue is which before you commit.

Where the black squares sit

The grid is 6 squares wide and 5 tall, 30 squares in all, not the 5-by-5 shape of many Minis. Seven squares are black. The top row loses its first two, the second row loses its first, and the bottom two rows each lose their last two. The corners fall away in a stair-step, which leaves the third row as the only one that runs the full width.

The Across entries run 4, 5, 6, 4 and 4 letters from top to bottom. The Down entries run 5, 5, 3, 3, 4 and 3 letters from left to right, and each direction covers 23 letters.

Today’s width is part of why the entries differ so much in length; the rules for a Mini are on our Mini Crossword page.

Track a solving streak on our printable weekly calendar or the November 2026 printable calendar.

More of Friday’s puzzles: Wordle hints, Connections hints, Strands hints, Spelling Bee hints and Pips hints. The bigger themed grid for Friday is our Midi answers for Nov. 6. Thursday’s grid is in our Mini answers for Nov. 5.

Today’s NYT Mini answers (spoilers)

Stop here if you still want to solve it yourself.

Clue	Answer
1-Across	Sued
5-Across	Force
6-Across	Carbon
7-Across	Area
8-Across	Bern
1-Down	Sorer
2-Down	Urban
3-Down	Eco
4-Down	Den
5-Down	Fare
6-Down	Cab

The answers come from the puzzle’s official data.

Yesterday's Mini Crossword answer

The Mini on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026: Across 1 Edgy, 5 Carla, 6 Again, 7 Sling, 8 Tent; Down 1 Eagle, 2 Drain, 3 Glint, 4 Yang, 5 Cast. Yesterday's hints and full solution.