NYT Midi Crossword Clue · Down · 6-D

Babe in the woods

From the Sunday, May 31, 2026 puzzleAnswer: 4 lettersBy Paolo Pasco
Tap each tile to reveal the answer
Stuck? Tap one tile at a time for a gentle nudge, or reveal the full answer.
Letters
4
Direction
Down
Clue #
6
Starts with
N
Ends with
F
Vowels
2

About this clue

The clue “Babe in the woods” appeared in the New York Times Midi Crossword on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at position 6-D. The answer is a 4-letter word that starts with N and ends with F.

This puzzle was titled “Is This a Joke to You?” and constructed by Paolo Pasco, edited by Ian Livengood.

The Midi Crossword sits between the lightning-fast Mini and the full daily, so its cluing tends toward punny misdirection rather than obscure trivia. The vowel pattern is balanced, suggesting a common English word.

How to solve this clue

If you're stuck on this Midi clue, here are angles that often help:

  • Crosscheck with the perpendicular entries. Fill the Across entries that cross this one and the letters will usually reveal the answer.
  • Watch for the puzzle title. Midi puzzles usually carry a small theme — long Across entries that share a wordplay link.
  • Mind the part of speech. Singular clue takes a singular answer; past tense takes -ED or an irregular past form.
  • Short answers recur. Three- and four-letter entries often repeat across thousands of NYT puzzles — abbreviations, articles, and short proper nouns.
  • Trust your first instinct. If a clue feels easy in the Midi, it usually is — the puzzle is designed to be solvable in three to five minutes.