Quick NYT Mini Crossword February 22, 2026 (Trivia Week 4) - 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 22, 2026 — NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Sunday, February 22, 2026

Puzzle Statistics
Detail	Information
Date	February 22, 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	65. Painter's medium
2 Across	93. Get the ___ (finally become aware)
3 Across	29. Farmyard call
4 Across	94. Ingredient in some gels
5 Across	66. Noah's Ark
6 Across	24. The Ten Plagues
7 Across	40. Part of T.G.I.F.: Abbr.
8 Across	119. Title woman in a 1965 Beach Boys hit
9 Across	31. Sodom and Gomorrah
10 Across	122. Brimless topper

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: "65. Painter's medium"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'L'
Another word like this: anoint

Answer:

Click to reveal

OIL

2 Across: "93. Get the ___ (finally become aware)"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'M' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: M__O

Answer:

Click to reveal

MEMO

3 Across: "29. Farmyard call"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'B' and ends with 'A'
Another word like this: bleat

Answer:

Click to reveal

BAA

4 Across: "94. Ingredient in some gels"

Helpful hints:

This word has 4 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: A__E

Answer:

Click to reveal

ALOE

5 Across: "66. Noah's Ark"

Helpful hints:

This word has 21 letters
It starts with 'W' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: W___________________E

Answer:

Click to reveal

WHERETHEWILDTHINGSARE

6 Across: "24. The Ten Plagues"

Helpful hints:

This word has 14 letters
It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: D____________E

Answer:

Click to reveal

DEATHONTHENILE

7 Across: "40. Part of T.G.I.F.: Abbr."

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'F' and ends with 'I'
Another word like this: Friday

Answer:

Click to reveal

FRI

8 Across: "119. Title woman in a 1965 Beach Boys hit"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'R' and ends with 'A'
Word pattern: R____A

Answer:

Click to reveal

RHONDA

9 Across: "31. Sodom and Gomorrah"

Helpful hints:

This word has 16 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S'
Word pattern: A______________S

Answer:

Click to reveal

ATALEOFTWOCITIES

10 Across: "122. Brimless topper"

Helpful hints:

This word has 6 letters
It starts with 'B' and ends with 'E'
Word pattern: B____E

Answer:

Click to reveal

BEANIE

Down Clues - 10 Total

These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.

Down Clues List
Number	Clue
1 Down	65. Common bridge bid, informally
2 Down	118. Domino dot
3 Down	115. Sponsored spots
4 Down	5. H, to Hera
5 Down	86. Where boaters hang with bowlers
6 Down	71. Protein-building acid, informally
7 Down	11. Weasel with a black-tipped tail
8 Down	110. Noted Art Deco designer
9 Down	105. Olympic blades
10 Down	62. Folk singer Guthrie

Hints and Answers for Down Clues

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

1 Down: "65. Common bridge bid, informally"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'O' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: O___O

Answer:

Click to reveal

ONENO

2 Down: "118. Domino dot"

Helpful hints:

This word has 3 letters
It starts with 'P' and ends with 'P'
Another word like this: whip

Answer:

Click to reveal

PIP

3 Down: "115. Sponsored spots"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ADS

4 Down: "5. H, to Hera"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ETA

5 Down: "86. Where boaters hang with bowlers"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

HATTREES

6 Down: "71. Protein-building acid, informally"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'A' and ends with 'O'
Word pattern: A___O

Answer:

Click to reveal

AMINO

7 Down: "11. Weasel with a black-tipped tail"

Helpful hints:

This word has 5 letters
It starts with 'S' and ends with 'T'
Word pattern: S___T

Answer:

Click to reveal

STOAT

8 Down: "110. Noted Art Deco designer"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ERTE

9 Down: "105. Olympic blades"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

EPEES

10 Down: "62. Folk singer Guthrie"

Helpful hints:

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

Answer:

Click to reveal

ARLO

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 4

When can I play the Trivia Week 4 Mini?

The Trivia Week 4 puzzle is available at 10 PM Eastern Time the night before.

How fast should I be able to solve Trivia Week 4?

Most people solve the Trivia Week 4 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 4?

No! The Trivia Week 4 NYT Mini is completely free. You don't need a subscription like the big crossword.

What makes a good Trivia Week 4 solver?

Good Trivia Week 4 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 4?

Trivia Week 4 puzzles can vary in difficulty. Saturdays are often the hardest, while Mondays are the easiest.

Search Clues

Sunday, February 22, 2026