Quick NYT Mini Crossword February 19, 2026 (Trivia Week 3) - Solutions

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 19, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Thursday, February 19, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	February 19, 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	15. In possession of
2 Across	51. Be defeated by
3 Across	37. Jot down
4 Across	65. Completely immersed, perhaps
5 Across	23. Part of a window above the apron
6 Across	24. One-half of a golf partnership, perhaps
7 Across	66. Some colorful plastic items in the seasonal aisle in the spring
8 Across	34. Swindled
9 Across	64. Volunteer's words
10 Across	5. Choctaw or Chickasaw

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: "15. In possession of"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'H' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: H____G

Answer:

Click to reveal

HAVING

2 Across: "51. Be defeated by"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'L' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: L____O

Answer:

Click to reveal

LOSETO

3 Across: "37. Jot down"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'N' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: N__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

NOTE

4 Across: "65. Completely immersed, perhaps"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

SOAKED

5 Across: "23. Part of a window above the apron"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'L'
Word pattern: S__L

Answer:

Click to reveal

SILL

6 Across: "24. One-half of a golf partnership, perhaps"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

PRO

7 Across: "66. Some colorful plastic items in the seasonal aisle in the spring"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EGGS

8 Across: "34. Swindled"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: S___G

Answer:

Click to reveal

STUNG

9 Across: "64. Volunteer's words"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'I' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: I__N

Answer:

Click to reveal

ICAN

10 Across: "5. Choctaw or Chickasaw"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: T___E

Answer:

Click to reveal

TRIBE

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	30. "What was ___ think?"
2 Down	28. Sunken treasure sites
3 Down	3. Metaphor for a challenging puzzle
4 Down	32. Ruling class
5 Down	63. Screen, as a candidate
6 Down	19. Talking back to
7 Down	58. Actress Kurylenko
8 Down	55. Over yonder
9 Down	41. Card game clarification
10 Down	39. Varnish ingredient

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "30. "What was ___ think?""

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ITO

2 Down: "28. Sunken treasure sites"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: S_____S

Answer:

Click to reveal

SEABEDS

3 Down: "3. Metaphor for a challenging puzzle"

Helpful hints:

This word has 8 letters
It starts with 'T' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: T______T

Answer:

Click to reveal

TOUGHNUT

4 Down: "32. Ruling class"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'E' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: E___E

Answer:

Click to reveal

ELITE

5 Down: "63. Screen, as a candidate"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'V' and ends with 'T'
Another word like this: veteran

Answer:

Click to reveal

VET

6 Down: "19. Talking back to"

Helpful hints:

This word has 7 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'G'
Word pattern: S_____G

Answer:

Click to reveal

SASSING

7 Down: "58. Actress Kurylenko"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: O__A

Answer:

Click to reveal

OLGA

8 Down: "55. Over yonder"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'R'
Word pattern: A__R

Answer:

Click to reveal

AFAR

9 Down: "41. Card game clarification"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ACESHIGH

10 Down: "39. Varnish ingredient"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'N'
Word pattern: R___N

Answer:

Click to reveal

RESIN

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:	Easy

Common Questions About Trivia Week 3

When can I play the Trivia Week 3 Mini?

The Trivia Week 3 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 3?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 3 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 3?

No! The Trivia Week 3 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 3 solver?

Good Trivia Week 3 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 3?

Trivia Week 3 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

Search Clues

Thursday, February 19, 2026