The answer to Sunday’s NYT Mini Crossword (July 12, 2026) is below. Three spoiler-free hints come first for anyone still working through it.
Hint 1: 1-Across is a five-letter word for a small digital image used to express an emotion – but the clue frames it as a typography pun.
Hint 2: 7-Across is a two-word phrase meaning cut into equal parts, written as one compound in the grid.
Hint 3: 9-Across clues a plural title of British nobility – the clue name-drops a famous holder of that title who invented something you eat for lunch.
Here is the complete solution for every Across and Down answer.
ACROSS
1-Across: Typeface? – EMOJI
6-Across: With ___ breath (anxiously waiting) – BATED
7-Across: Halved – INTWO
8-Across: Prepare to propose – KNEEL
9-Across: Certain British noblemen, like the ones of Sandwich – EARLS
DOWN
1-Down: Two-wheeler with a motor – EBIKE
2-Down: Food from the heavens – MANNA
3-Down: Mammal that enjoys using a muddy riverbank as a slide – OTTER
4-Down: Prized stone – JEWEL
5-Down: Prized people – IDOLS
The standout clue today is 1-Across: “Type face?” for EMOJI. It works on two levels: a typeface is a font, and the question mark flags the wordplay – EMOJI is technically a type of face you type. It is a compact, clean piece of misdirection that rewards solvers who pause before reaching for the typographic interpretation.
The other memorable clue is 9-Across: “Certain British noblemen, like the ones of Sandwich.” The Earl of Sandwich – John Montagu, 4th Earl – is credited with popularizing the meal that bears the title’s name, allegedly so he could eat without leaving the card table. The puzzle’s phrasing puts the nobility first and lets solvers arrive at the food connection as an afterthought, which is exactly the right order.
7-Across presents a mild grid quirk: INTWO as a single entry for “Halved.” The phrase “cut in two” splits cleanly into a crossword fill, but it reads as slightly artificial on the page. The parallel Down clues at 4-Down and 5-Down – “Prized stone” (JEWEL) and “Prized people” (IDOLS) – are the neatest pairing in the grid, using the same adjective to point at two completely different referents.
Overall difficulty sits at medium-easy for a Sunday. MANNA and OTTER are reliable fills; BATED is the one that will trip solvers who encounter “bated breath” more in print than in conversation and misremember the spelling as “baited.”
For Saturday’s puzzle, see the NYT Mini Crossword answers for July 11, 2026. Also published today: the complete NYT Strands answers for Sunday, July 12, 2026 (spangram: EMPIRESTATE).
