‘The Little Mermaid’s name’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clue answer and hints

Here's the solution and some hints for the one down "The Little Mermaid's name" clue on the Oct. 17 NYT Mini Crossword.

The Little Mermaid's name clue for the NYT Mini Crossword.
Image by Dot Esports

Disney has a vast cast of unique characters across their many films, and one of the most iconic ones is the mermaid princess in The Little Mermaid. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword tasks you with recalling “The Little Mermaid’s name.”

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If you’re unsure what “The Little Mermaid’s name” is, here are some hints and the official answer to help you solve this clue on the Oct. 17 NYT Mini Crossword.

‘The Little Mermaid’s name’ Oct. 17 NYT Mini Crossword hints

The Little Mermaid's name clue highlighted on the NYT Mini Crossword.
You need a five-letter word to solve this one. Screenshot by Dot Esports
  • Hint 1: It starts with the letter “A.”
  • Hint 2: The name of the spirit bound as a servant of Prospero in Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
  • Hint 3: _____ Winter is the actress who played Alex Dunphy on Modern Family.
  • Hint 4: It ends with the letter “L.”

I’m going to reveal the answer now, so don’t go any further until you’re ready to learn it.

‘The Little Mermaid’s name’ NYT Mini answer

The solution for “The Little Mermaid’s name” clue on the Oct. 17 NYT Mini Crossword puzzle is “ARIEL.” This is the name of the princess mermaid protagonist in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.

‘The Little Mermaid’s name’ clue difficulty rating

If you’re not a big Disney fan, it can be easy to forget what “The Little Mermaid’s name” is. There are many unique Disney princesses and characters, which also means it can be easy to confuse them if you’re not someone who watches the films or engages with Disney content regularly.

I don’t think this is one of the toughest clues, but I’m a pretty big Disney fan who could easily name all the Disney princesses. I get that this could be a difficult one for someone who doesn’t know them, though, so I’m giving this a three out of five difficulty rating since I think it falls somewhere in the middle.

All Oct. 17 NYT Mini Crossword clues and answers

Across

  • 1A Human’s cousin — APE
  • 4A Word after party or prescription — DRUG
  • 5A With the circled letters (literally!), two options when riding an elevator — GOING
  • 6A Gobsmacks — AWE
  • 7A Show on which Bowen Yang plays J.D. Vance, for short — SNL

Down

  • 1D The Little Mermaid’s name — ARIEL
  • 2D Plays on words — PUNS
  • 3D _____ + flour = pasta dough — EGG
  • 4D OK (with), informally — DOWN
  • 5D Electric vehicle’s lack — GAS

Games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If you’re up for working on some more word games you might enjoy completing the crosswords over at the LA Times and the Washington Post next. You can also try Strands and Spelling Bee if you want to tackle some unique brain teasers with different premises.

Author
Image of Kacee Fay
Kacee Fay
Staff Writer at Dot Esports covering new releases and a wide array of topics including Minecraft, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Phasmophobia, general gaming, streaming, and more. She has been avidly writing and gaming her whole life and now spends her time combining the two. Kacee graduated from San Diego State University in 2021 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English and a Certificate in Creative Editing and Publishing. She then joined Dot Esports as a Freelance Writer in 2022 before transitioning to a Staff Writer in 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys buying more books than she can read, gaming alone or with friends, drinking too much tea, attending concerts, fangirling over movies and television, listening to music, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets, who are the most important parts of her world.