Gem in an oyster

Latest answer — March 12, 2026

8 Across

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NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Thursday, March 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Like jerk chicken and chicken vindaloo
  2. 6Capital of Vietnam
  3. 7"Well, would ya look at that!"
  4. 8Gem in an oyster
  5. 9Thick roll of cash

Down

  1. 1Part of a naval fleet
  2. 2The "P" in I.P.A.
  3. 3Relative by marriage
  4. 4King ___ (venomous snake)
  5. 5Sign obeyed by merging traffic

The answer to “Gem in an oyster” in the New York Times Mini crossword is PEARL — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 12, 2026 at 8-Across. Below you'll find why that fill fits, every other answer we've recorded for this clue, and links into the puzzle it came from.

“Gem in an oyster” answer

PEARL (5 letters)

Use the reveal tiles above to uncover the solution one letter at a time if you'd rather nudge yourself toward it than see the whole word at once. Prefer the full answer straight away? It's PEARL.

Why the answer is PEARL

PEARL is the 5-letter solution that fits "Gem in an oyster" in the NYT Mini crossword on March 12, 2026 (8-Across). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does PEARL mean?

Reading the plain dictionary sense of PEARL is often the fastest way to see why it answers this clue.

(noun)

  • a hard, lustrous spherical mass, typically white or bluish-grey, formed within the shell of a pearl oyster or other bivalve mollusc and highly prized as a gem
  • a person or thing of great rarity and worth

When else has “Gem in an oyster” appeared?

New York Times Mini reuses clues across dates, sometimes with a different answer depending on the grid. Here's where this exact clue has shown up, and what the answer was each time — handy when you're checking whether today's fill is the only one.

March 12, 2026 (most recent) → PEARL. We haven't indexed another appearance of this exact clue yet.

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Gem in an oyster”?

The answer is PEARL, a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 12, 2026.

How many letters is the answer to “Gem in an oyster”?

5 letters: PEARL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on March 12, 2026, at 8-Across.

Can “Gem in an oyster” have a different answer?

Yes — New York Times Mini sometimes reuses a clue with a different solution to fit the grid. The answers we've recorded for each date it appeared are listed above when available.

Where can I find the rest of today's NYT Mini answers?

Every clue and answer from that day's puzzle is linked above, and the full grid is on the NYT Mini answers page.

New York Times Mini Crossword is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.

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