NYT Mini Crossword — August 12, 2026
Hints — one at a time
Hint 1 of 5
Today's five-by-five touches on women's pro basketball, an ancient wooden ruse, and a Hawaiian greeting.
Hint 2 of 5
Across, look for the abbreviation for a top women's basketball league, the deceptive wooden gift that let soldiers sneak into an ancient city, and a warm island word for hello or goodbye.
Hint 3 of 5
The across side finishes with a modern term for someone's personal opinions and the cozy spot where a small bird lays its eggs.
Hint 4 of 5
Down, you'll need a word for asking someone to repeat themselves, the first name of a Hall-of-Fame pitcher famous for his fastball, and a term for having no money left.
Hint 5 of 5
Finish down with what remains after something burns completely and the compass direction that pairs with north to name the northeast.
The answer — spoilers!
Reveal the full answer
- Caitlin Clark's league, for short — WNBA
- Odysseus's hiding place when entering the city of Troy — HORSE
- Hawaiian "hi" — ALOHA
- Personal opinions, in modern parlance — TAKES
- Where a nuthatch hatches — NEST
- "Come again?" — WHAT
- Hall-of-Fame pitcher ___ Ryan — NOLAN
- Unloaded? — BROKE
- What a phoenix rises from — ASHES
- The "E" of NE — EAST
This puzzle by the numbers
- 5 across, 5 down
- HORSE (5)
Counted from our own archive of NYT Mini Crossword answers — not published anywhere else.
