‘Airy areas, architecturally’ NYT Mini Crossword puzzle clues answer and hints

Do small buildings make you feel claustrophobic? With the shrinking size of buildings, one feature in big buildings helps you breathe easily and allows natural light inside to conserve energy. Today’s NYT Mini Crossword clue is “Airy areas, architecturally,” which tests your knowledge of architecture and asks you to name this feature vital for large buildings.

If today’s NYT Mini Crossword clues challenge your brain, you can use our hints and answers to breeze through the word game.

‘Airy areas, architecturally’ NYT Nov. 6 Mini Crossword hints and answer

• Hint 1: The answer is something that many large public buildings like malls and offices feature.
• Hint 2: The five-letter solution allows natural light in modern buildings.
• Hint 3: It starts with the letter “A.”
• Hint 4: The solution is also the name of a critical part of the human heart that pumps into the ventricles.

Let’s jump in and reveal the answer.

The answer to four across in the Nov. 6 New York Times Mini Crossword is “ATRIA.” The atria is the plural of atrium that refers to open, spacious central areas commonly found in buildings, especially in office buildings, malls, or hotels. It serves as a central gathering space or entrance, allowing for the flow of light and air, which fits perfectly with the “airy areas” part of the clue.

‘Airy areas, architecturally’ NYT Mini Crossword difficulty rating

I’m not well-versed in technical architectural terms, so I had to solve my way through the crossword today to ultimately get the sense of the word, which could denote large, airy areas. Atria seemed like a good guess because it is traditionally known for improving ventilation, which fits well with the “airy” part of the clue.

However, if you’re not familiar with the architectural features of big buildings, it might be hard for you to guess. So, I’d give it a four out of five for difficulty.

NYT Mini Crossword (Nov. 6) answers

Across

• 1A Horror franchise with an 11th film planned for 2025 — SAW
• 4A Airy areas, architecturally — ATRIA
• 6A Like an oddball — WEIRD
• 7A Made less difficult — EASED
• 8A ___ school (MCAT taker’s next step) — MED

Down

• 1D What shoots out the ears of an angry cartoon character — STEAM
• 2D Come up in conversation — ARISE
• 3D Overly caffeinated, say— WIRED
• 4D Feeling when first seeing the Alps or the Grand Canyon — AWE
• 5D Press “+” — ADD

How to play other word games like the NYT Mini Crossword

If the NYT Mini Crossword word games are wearing you out, you can try boosting your brainpower with the LA Times and Washington Post puzzles. You can also give Strands and Spelling Bee a try to enjoy some fun alternatives.