Jump To Section About Today's Puzzle NYT Mini Crossword Grid - Saturday, February 28, 2026 Puzzle Statistics Detail Information Date February 28, 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 56. Musical sample added for excitement 2 Across 22. Part of a Blues Brothers outfit 3 Across 1. Set unambitious goals 4 Across 23. Animated friend of Sebastian the crab 5 Across 38. Breathlessness 6 Across 59. One might play at home 7 Across 16. Precious person 8 Across 36. Symbols used to group blocks of computer code 9 Across 17. Phrase you might say while pointing at a photograph 10 Across 54. Modern banking convenience
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: "56. Musical sample added for excitement" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'N' Word pattern: A_____N Answer: Click to reveal AIRHORN
2 Across: "22. Part of a Blues Brothers outfit" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'F' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: F____A Answer: Click to reveal FEDORA
3 Across: "1. Set unambitious goals" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'W' Word pattern: A____W Answer: Click to reveal AIMLOW
4 Across: "23. Animated friend of Sebastian the crab" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'L' Word pattern: A___L Answer: Click to reveal ARIEL
5 Across: "38. Breathlessness" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'A' Word pattern: A___A Answer: Click to reveal APNEA
6 Across: "59. One might play at home" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'O' Word pattern: S____O Answer: Click to reveal STEREO
7 Across: "16. Precious person" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: D_____E Answer: Click to reveal DEARONE
8 Across: "36. Symbols used to group blocks of computer code" Helpful hints:
This word has 11 letters It starts with 'C' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: C_________S Answer: Click to reveal CURLYBRACES
9 Across: "17. Phrase you might say while pointing at a photograph" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'T' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: T_____E Answer: Click to reveal THATSME
10 Across: "54. Modern banking convenience" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: A_____Y Answer: Click to reveal AUTOPAY
Down Clues - 10 Total These clues go from top to bottom in the puzzle.
Down Clues List Number Clue 1 Down 5. Rap pioneers, slangily 2 Down 9. Dialect that is responsible for a large majority of Gen Z slang 3 Down 12. Like defendants at court 4 Down 45. Skip the ceremony, say 5 Down 39. Following etiquette 6 Down 32. Scientific classification for birds 7 Down 53. Popular role-playing game since 1974, informally 8 Down 33. Tesla, for one 9 Down 1. Kind of projection 10 Down 24. Uncork, so to speak
Hints and Answers for Down Clues Need help? Here are hints and answers for each clue above. You might also like:
1 Down: "5. Rap pioneers, slangily" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'O' and ends with 'S' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal OGS
2 Down: "9. Dialect that is responsible for a large majority of Gen Z slang" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: A__E Answer: Click to reveal AAVE
3 Down: "12. Like defendants at court" Helpful hints:
This word has 7 letters It starts with 'O' and ends with 'L' Word pattern: O_____L Answer: Click to reveal ONTRIAL
4 Down: "45. Skip the ceremony, say" Helpful hints:
This word has 5 letters It starts with 'E' and ends with 'E' Word pattern: E___E Answer: Click to reveal ELOPE
5 Down: "39. Following etiquette" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'P' and ends with 'R' Word pattern: P____R Answer: Click to reveal PROPER
6 Down: "32. Scientific classification for birds" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'S' Word pattern: A__S Answer: Click to reveal AVES
7 Down: "53. Popular role-playing game since 1974, informally" Helpful hints:
This word has 3 letters It starts with 'D' and ends with 'D' This is a short form or acronym Answer: Click to reveal DND
8 Down: "33. Tesla, for one" Helpful hints:
This word has 4 letters It starts with 'S' and ends with 'B' Word pattern: S__B Answer: Click to reveal SERB
9 Down: "1. Kind of projection" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'A' and ends with 'L' Word pattern: A____L Answer: Click to reveal ASTRAL
10 Down: "24. Uncork, so to speak" Helpful hints:
This word has 6 letters It starts with 'L' and ends with 'Y' Word pattern: L____Y Answer: Click to reveal LETFLY
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 3 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 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.
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 28, 2026 at 04:41 AM
Search terms: NYT Mini Trivia Week, Trivia Week {week_num}, Mini crossword Trivia Week, Trivia Week answers, NYT Trivia Week, February 28 2026 mini crossword