NYT Midi Crossword

June 5, 2026 Answers

“The Friend Zone”

FridayBy Rena CohenEdited by Ian Livengood

Total

Across

Down

Maya Chen✓

Senior Puzzle Editor · Solved & verified

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How it works: Each clue shows empty tiles for its answer length — tap a tile to reveal that letter, or click the clue itself for the full SEO answer page with letter analysis and cross-puzzle history.

Across (15)Down (15)Recent puzzles

Across 15

Sport in a cage, for short

Prepare for a filling, as a tooth

Bit of an apple crisp topping

"Hello," in Mandarin

"Let You Love Me" singer Rita ___

Creative spark, in slang

Uncompromising

Casual embraces between friends ... and a hint to this puzzle's circled letters

Cry from an exasperated teacher

Lukewarm

Card game with Draw cards

Quarterback's protectors, for short

2016 Summer Olympics host, informally

Alpha's counterpart

Ping-Pong table divider

Down 15

Sounds on a dairy farm

Small shops

Gaming company that created Pong

Portions equal to roughly 11%

Some verbal stumbles

Treasure hunt guide

Sound from a playful ghost

"I really like that thought"

Wasting gas while parked

Maneuver on a dead-end street

Movie character who sings "Mister Aladdin, sir, have a wish or two or three"

Person with airs of superiority

Overly

West ___ (furniture retailer)

Dessert enjoyed on March 14, fittingly

Recent Midi Crosswords

About this puzzle

The NYT Midi Crossword sits squarely between the Mini and the full daily puzzle — usually a 7×7 or 9×9 grid that takes a confident solver about three to five minutes. Today's grid was constructed by Rena Cohen and edited by Ian Livengood. The puzzle is titled “The Friend Zone”. Tap any tile to reveal a single letter, or click a clue for the full breakdown with hints, letter analysis, and cross-puzzle history.