NYT Mini Puzzle Trivia Week 2 February 13, 2026 - Solved

Quick Summary: Today's NYT Mini Crossword has 20 clues total. We have all the answers plus helpful hints to make solving easier!

About Today's Puzzle

NYT Mini Crossword solutions for February 13, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Friday, February 13, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	February 13, 2026
Grid Size	5 x 5 squares
Total Clues	20 clues
Across Clues	10 clues
Down Clues	10 clues
Average Solve Time	Under 1 minute

Today's Trivia Week {week_num} NYT Mini Crossword Grid Layout

This puzzle uses a 5 by 5 grid. That means 5 boxes across and 5 boxes down.

5x5 Crossword Grid Pattern
	Column 1	Column 2	Column 3	Column 4	Column 5
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
Row 5

How to Solve This Puzzle Fast

Read all the clues first - your brain will start working on them
Fill in the short words first (3 letters or less)
Use the crossing letters to help with harder words
If a clue has a question mark (?), it's probably a joke or play on words
Common short words: THE, AND, ARE, FOR, NOT

Quick Facts About This Puzzle

Total squares in grid: 25 (5 times 5)
Average time to solve: Less than 1 minute
Best time to play: During a coffee break
Difficulty level: Made for everyone to enjoy

Across Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from left to right in the puzzle.

Across Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Across	53. Provincetown catch
2 Across	54. Hit's counterpart
3 Across	26. Casual assent
4 Across	35. Le contraire de "après"
5 Across	27. Dating qualifier
6 Across	43. Alphabetically last nutrient in a multivitamin, often
7 Across	25. Catches
8 Across	44. Counsel council, for short
9 Across	45. Gives a wave, maybe
10 Across	13. "Abso-freaking-lutely!"

Hints and Answers for Across Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. Also check out these helpful guides:

1 Across: "53. Provincetown catch"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'D'
Word pattern: S___D

Answer:

Click to reveal

SCROD

2 Across: "54. Hit's counterpart"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'Y'
Word pattern: S__Y

Answer:

Click to reveal

STAY

3 Across: "26. Casual assent"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'Y' and ends with 'P'
This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal

YEP

4 Across: "35. Le contraire de "après""

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: A___T

Answer:

Click to reveal

AVANT

5 Across: "27. Dating qualifier"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'C' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: C___A

Answer:

Click to reveal

CIRCA

6 Across: "43. Alphabetically last nutrient in a multivitamin, often"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'Z' and ends with 'C'
Word pattern: Z__C

Answer:

Click to reveal

ZINC

7 Across: "25. Catches"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: N__S

Answer:

Click to reveal

NABS

8 Across: "44. Counsel council, for short"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A'
This is a short form or acronym

Answer:

Click to reveal

ABA

9 Across: "45. Gives a wave, maybe"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'I'
Word pattern: S____I

Answer:

Click to reveal

SAYSHI

10 Across: "13. "Abso-freaking-lutely!""

Helpful hints:

This word has 8 letters
It starts with 'H' and ends with 'H'
Word pattern: H______H

Answer:

Click to reveal

HELLYEAH

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	32. Ones offering cheap shots?
2 Down	3. It's handled at the bar
3 Down	45. Word with guitar or go
4 Down	46. Historic event the French call "le jour J"
5 Down	5. Bishop's locale
6 Down	34. Honolulu thank you
7 Down	16. Offerings at a reception
8 Down	43. Canyon with a much-hiked section called the Narrows
9 Down	39. Puts down
10 Down	42. Blinkers?

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:

1 Down: "32. Ones offering cheap shots?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 8 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: D______S

Answer:

Click to reveal

DIVEBARS

2 Down: "3. It's handled at the bar"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'P'
Word pattern: A____P

Answer:

Click to reveal

ALETAP

3 Down: "45. Word with guitar or go"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: S__O

Answer:

Click to reveal

SOLO

4 Down: "46. Historic event the French call "le jour J""

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'Y'
Word pattern: D__Y

Answer:

Click to reveal

DDAY

5 Down: "5. Bishop's locale"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'E'
Another word like this: realise

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEE

6 Down: "34. Honolulu thank you"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'M' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: M____O

Answer:

Click to reveal

MAHALO

7 Down: "16. Offerings at a reception"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: T____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

TOASTS

8 Down: "43. Canyon with a much-hiked section called the Narrows"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'Z' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: Z__N

Answer:

Click to reveal

ZION

9 Down: "39. Puts down"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SCORNS

10 Down: "42. Blinkers?"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: E__S

Answer:

Click to reveal

EYES

How to Solve the NYT Mini Crossword Faster

Here are the best tips from expert solvers:

Step-by-Step Strategy

Quick Scan: Read all clues once. Your brain starts working on them right away.
Easy First: Fill in the shortest words (2-3 letters). These are usually simple words like "IT" or "ON".
Use Crossings: When letters cross, they help you figure out harder words.
Watch for Wordplay: Clues with question marks (?) are jokes or puns.
Common Words: Remember these appear often: ERA, ORE, ATE, ICE.

Letter Tips That Really Help

The letter E is the most common in English
Words ending in S are often plurals
If you see "___" in a clue, the answer fits those blanks exactly
Abbreviations in clues mean the answer is also abbreviated

Time Goals to Aim For

Your Time	Skill Level	What It Means
Under 30 seconds	Expert	You know the puzzle patterns very well!
30-60 seconds	Advanced	Great job! You solve quickly.
1-2 minutes	Good	You're doing well. Keep practicing!
Over 2 minutes	Learning	You'll get faster with practice.

Puzzle Numbers and Facts

Today's Puzzle by the Numbers
Total Clues:	20 clues to solve
Grid Size:	5 boxes across, 5 boxes down
Total Squares:	25 squares to fill
Average Time:	Most people solve in 1 minute 10 seconds
Difficulty:	A bit tricky

Common Questions About Trivia Week 2

When can I play the Trivia Week 2 Mini?

The Trivia Week 2 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 2?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 2 Mini in 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Don't worry if you take longer - speed comes with practice!

Do I need to pay to play Trivia Week 2?

No! The Trivia Week 2 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 2 solver?

Good Trivia Week 2 solvers know common short words, can spot wordplay quickly, and use crossing letters well. Practice helps a lot!

Are the puzzles harder during Trivia Week 2?

Trivia Week 2 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

Search Clues

Friday, February 13, 2026