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NYT Crossword — February 13, 2026

Friday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 71 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 71 revealed

1T

2S

3A

4P

5S

6S

7T

8L

9A

10S

11T

12S

13H

E

L

14L

Y

E

A

H

15F

I

R

E

H

A

16T

17I

C

E

A

R

E

N

A

18I

V

O

T

E

N

O

19N

U

T

S

O

20M

I

21F

F

E

D

22R

D

A

23G

R

A

S

24T

A

I

L

E

D

25N

A

B

S

26Y

E

P

27C

I

R

C

A

28C

O

V

E

T

29M

O

V

I

E

T

30R

31A

I

L

E

R

S

32D

33I

A

M

O

N

D

E

A

R

R

I

N

G

34M

I

N

N

E

S

O

T

A

N

I

C

E

35A

V

A

N

T

36E

R

A

S

E

37S

38I

39S

40H

E

R

A

41B

42E

A

T

L

E

43Z

I

N

C

44A

B

A

45S

A

Y

S

H

I

46D

I

E

G

O

47L

A

B

48N

O

T

E

49E

G

50G

D

O

N

O

R

51O

R

I

O

L

E

S

52R

H

I

A

N

N

O

N

53S

C

R

O

D

54S

T

A

Y

55A

D

S

Across

35 clues

1Org. with checkpoints

4Poke accompaniment, at times

8Shoe-shaping tools

13"Abso-freaking-lutely!"

15A red plastic one might be worn on Halloween

17Skating venue

18"Thumbs-down from me"

20A little sore, say

22It's what you should take, in brief

23Lundi ___, festive Monday observance in New Orleans

26Casual assent

27Dating qualifier

28Really fancy?

29They don't give you the full picture

32The 14.54-carat Apollo Blue, e.g., which sold for more than $42 million in 2017

34Polite, friendly stereotype from the Midwest

35Le contraire de "après"

36Clear a sentence?

40Goddess often depicted with peacocks

41Someone singing "Something"

43Alphabetically last nutrient in a multivitamin, often

44Counsel council, for short

45Gives a wave, maybe

46"Andor" actor ___ Luna

47Research scientist's jotting

49Visitor to a fertility clinic, maybe

51Birds whose name comes from the Latin word for "golden"

521976 Fleetwood Mac hit said to be inspired by a Welsh witch

53Provincetown catch

54Hit's counterpart

Down

36 clues

3It's handled at the bar

4One with a burning passion?

5Bishop's locale

6Tiny nation claiming over 1,700 years of self-governance

7Cold drinks often topped with evaporated milk

8___ experience

9Longtime teammate of Derek Jeter, familiarly

10Group of reps

11Poem so beloved by Abraham Lincoln that he carried it in his pocket and memorized it

12Sheryl ___, author of the 2013 best seller "Lean In"

14Many a bonny bairn

16Offerings at a reception

21Ones who don't believe in global revolutions?

24Saves for later, in a way

27Teammate of Cupid in "A Visit From St. Nicholas"

28Mythological figure who turns men into pigs

29Spiritual sustenance

30Sped right through the stop signal

32Ones offering cheap shots?

33How the Quran is written

34Honolulu thank you

37Ferruginous pigment

41Like some breath

43Canyon with a much-hiked section called the Narrows

45Word with guitar or go

46Historic event the French call "le jour J"

48"___ I!" (negative reply)

50Director Coppola of 2024's "The Last Showgirl"

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Friday, Feb 13, 2026

16×15

Grid size

71

Total entries

34/206

Black / letter cells

5.8

Avg entry length

14 ltrs

Longest entry

Hard

Friday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 13, 2026

DayFriday

ThemeThemeless

ConstructorEvan Mulvihill

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 36 down

Longest entries

32AThe 14.54-carat Apollo Blue, e.g., which sold for more than $42 million in 201714 ltrs 29AThey don't give you the full picture13 ltrs 34APolite, friendly stereotype from the Midwest13 ltrs 7DCold drinks often topped with evaporated milk12 ltrs 21DOnes who don't believe in global revolutions?12 ltrs

Friday puzzles run themeless, so the fill leans on long open entries and wordplay clues rather than a central gimmick. This grid has 34 black squares and averages 5.8 letters per entry.