Willfully causing pain

Latest answer — January 12, 2026

2 Down

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NYT Mini Crossword

This clue's Monday, January 12, 2026 appearance

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Across

  1. 1Unit of farmland
  2. 5Counterpart of "Musical or Comedy" at the Golden Globes
  3. 7Kind of "touch" that A.I. lacks
  4. 8Alternative to credit
  5. 9"OMG, that's hilarious"

Down

  1. 1Condition that affects concentration, for short
  2. 2Willfully causing pain
  3. 3Five-time role for Sylvester Stallone
  4. 4One might have a scheduled send time
  5. 6Aardvark's prey

The answer to “Willfully causing pain” in the New York Times Mini crossword is CRUEL — a 5-letter word. It most recently appeared in the New York Times Mini crossword on January 12, 2026 at 2-Down. 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.

“Willfully causing pain” answer

CRUEL (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 CRUEL.

Why the answer is CRUEL

CRUEL is the 5-letter solution that fits "Willfully causing pain" in the NYT Mini crossword on January 12, 2026 (2-Down). Use the letter tiles above if you'd rather reveal it one letter at a time.

What does CRUEL mean?

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

(adjective)

  • wilfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it

When else has “Willfully causing pain” 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.

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

Frequently asked questions

What is the answer to “Willfully causing pain”?

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

How many letters is the answer to “Willfully causing pain”?

5 letters: CRUEL.

When did this clue appear?

Most recently in the New York Times Mini crossword on January 12, 2026, at 2-Down.

Can “Willfully causing pain” 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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