Jump To Section About Today's Puzzle NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Monday, February 16, 2026 Puzzle Statistics Detail Information Date February 16, 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. Place to get a rubdown 2 Across 28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs 3 Across 47. Where clams are served 4 Across 59. Hourly pay rate 5 Across 60. Flock that honks 6 Across 63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium 7 Across 51. Rep.'s counterpart 8 Across 54. "Makes no difference to me" 9 Across 23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe 10 Across 61. Follow directions
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. Place to get a rubdown" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'A' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal SPA
2 Across: "28. Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'U' and ends with 'X' Word pattern: U__X Answer: Click to reveal UNIX
3 Across: "47. Where clams are served" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'R' and ends with 'R' Word pattern: R____R Answer: Click to reveal RAWBAR
4 Across: "59. Hourly pay rate" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'W' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: W__E Answer: Click to reveal WAGE
5 Across: "60. Flock that honks" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'G' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: G___E Answer: Click to reveal GEESE
6 Across: "63. Chicago's ___ Planetarium" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'R' Word pattern: A___R Answer: Click to reveal ADLER
7 Across: "51. Rep.'s counterpart" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'M' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal DEM
8 Across: "54. "Makes no difference to me"" Helpful hints:
This word has 13 letters It starts with 'I' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: I___________Y Answer: Click to reveal IDGOEITHERWAY
9 Across: "23. Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'G' and ends with 'H' Word pattern: G__H Answer: Click to reveal GOTH
10 Across: "61. Follow directions" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'O' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: O__Y Answer: Click to reveal OBEY
Down Clues - 10 Total These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
Down Clues List Number Clue 1 Down 27. Top-tier 2 Down 34. Something to noodle on 3 Down 39. Shortfall of exports vis-à-vis imports 4 Down 4. Whole bunch 5 Down 12. "All Things Considered" airer 6 Down 29. Pinot ___ 7 Down 45. Droop 8 Down 6. Hearty embrace 9 Down 21. Kind of number on an old business card 10 Down 20. D.C.'s National ___
Hints and Answers for Down Clues Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
1 Down: "27. Top-tier" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'B' and ends with 'T' Word pattern: B__T Answer: Click to reveal BEST
2 Down: "34. Something to noodle on" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'I' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: I__A Answer: Click to reveal IDEA
3 Down: "39. Shortfall of exports vis-à-vis imports" Helpful hints:
This word has 8 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'P' Word pattern: T______P Answer: Click to reveal TRADEGAP
4 Down: "4. Whole bunch" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'W' Word pattern: S__W Answer: Click to reveal SLEW
5 Down: "12. "All Things Considered" airer" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'N' and ends with 'R' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal NPR
6 Down: "29. Pinot ___" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'N' and ends with 'R' Word pattern: N__R Answer: Click to reveal NOIR
7 Down: "45. Droop" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'G' Another word like this: swag Answer: Click to reveal SAG
8 Down: "6. Hearty embrace" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'B' and ends with 'G' Word pattern: B_____G Answer: Click to reveal BEARHUG
9 Down: "21. Kind of number on an old business card" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'F' and ends with 'X' Another word like this: telefax Answer: Click to reveal FAX
10 Down: "20. D.C.'s National ___" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'Z' and ends with 'O' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal ZOO
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 45 seconds Difficulty: A bit tricky
More Puzzle Help If you like the NYT Mini, you might enjoy these other puzzles too:
Recent Crossword Solutions: 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.
About This Page: We provide hints and answers for the NYT Mini Crossword to help you learn and improve. This site is not connected to The New York Times.
Last Updated: February 16, 2026 at 05:16 AM
Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, February 16 2026 mini crossword
