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

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.”

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

• 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 lots of 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 overall toughest clues I’ve seen, but I’m also a pretty big Disney fan who could easily name all the Disney princesses. I get that this could be a tough one for someone who doesn’t know them though, so I’m giving this a tee 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.