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The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.

With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.

So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections — we have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

Here are the clues and answers to NYT's The Mini for Sunday, February 16, 2025:

AcrossWhat has two hands around your wrist?

• The answer is Watch.

Sneeze sound

• The answer is Achoo.

Elevator choice

• The answer is Floor.

___ and Caicos

• The answer is Turks.

Magnetoreception, for many migratory birds and fish

• The answer is Sense.

DownFloats, as a smell

• The answer is Wafts.

"I don't have ___" ("Beats me")

• The answer is A clue.

Rosebush protector

• The answer is Thorn.

Too many might be in the kitchen

• The answer is Cooks.

Basketball game with a spelled-out score

• The answer is Horse.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Featured Video For You The Wordle Strategy used by the New York Times' Head of Games

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to the latest Mini Crossword.

Since Donald Trump won his second presidential term, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has enacted a tirade of right-leaning policy changes that critics warn could amplify hate speech, misinformation, and harassment across its platforms. These changes include eliminating fact-checkers in favor of community notes, lifting prohibitions on certain forms of hate speech, scrapping DEI initiatives, removing trans-inclusive features from its apps, and reinstating political content recommendations. 

Many activists view these changes as a stark, rightward shift, but for leftist meme creators on Instagram, it's just more of the same — a continued struggle to navigate an increasingly hostile digital landscape. For creators, platform changes go beyond a simple policy shift; they reshape the environment in which they create and share their work. 

Despite escalating hostility on Meta’s platforms, it's created digital spaces that are inherently necessary for creators. Leftist meme creators aren’t logging off en masse, but, instead, are adapting and resisting. While Meta’s rightward shift may shape the digital battleground, it isn't extinguishing the creativity, subversion, and activism that define leftist meme culture. For some, it’s pushing them to become more radical. 

After all, they argue, Meta has always been antagonistic to their cause, and they've managed to carve out a space for themselves despite it.

SEE ALSO: Mark Zuckerberg wants more 'masculine energy' in corporate America Instagram’s longstanding tensions with progressive and leftist creators

Instagram isn't a platform exclusively for political memes. As Pew Research found in 2024, the platform is primarily for entertainment and connecting, not politics — an opinion temporarily shared by Instagram head Adam Mosseri when the platform limited political content for a short time. However, Instagram has increasingly become a hub for news, art, and memes, as well as a tool for elected officials and activists to engage with the public. 

You simply can’t deny the popularity of memes. Users share over a million memes every day, according to one 2022 study. Not all memes are political, of course, but more and more are being shared by candidates and political parties. As NPR highlighted in 2023, the vast majority of political memes are created and shared by everyday users, making them a sort of grassroots medium for spreading political ideas. And while not every meme goes viral, those that do often see more user engagement than posts from prominent news organizations, another study showed.

View this post on Instagram

Aiden Arata, an Instagram meme creator at @aidenarata, doesn't make inherently political memes. But her work does touch on themes — such as creation without capitalism, nature and nurture, and empathy — that lean toward progressive politics. She describes the memes she creates as "modern folk art," existing both within and often in opposition to hostile structures. This description holds true for many of the more contentious political meme creators.

"[Memes] take these institutionalized ideas and allow you to subvert them and make them about something else and give them a new meaning," Arata told Mashable. "Honestly, the meme already operates under structures that it doesn't quite agree with." 

Jake Stoner of @eco_socialist told Mashable that he "lean[s] heavily on memes" because of their shareability. "I view memes as modern-day pamphlets."

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"My view on memes is that they function as a kind of outlet or possibly even a conversation starter," John, the creator of @socialistsopranosmemes, told Mashable. "I don’t think that changes just because Meta will be easing up on censorship. We’ll probably see more from a certain particularly odious segment of the political spectrum, but if those people want to volunteer to show everyone just how vile their views are, I say we let them."

Ultimately, Jon argues, there are "real limits to digital activism." Online political discourse needs to move to real-world action, he says. But meme creation is part of that larger movement, one that leads to political organizing. According to one 2020 study, this kind of posting facilitated offline protests through advertising and organizing. The study argues that communications of the day — what were once pamphlets, town square assemblies, and rumors — played an important role in "the group dynamics of mobilization similar to that played by social media today."

"Memes can be good ways to express opinions and feelings that people might have and relate to others that feel the same. I hope this gives people hope and community and inspires them to do political organizing in their communities [and] workplaces," the creator of @bigdawgsocialism told Mashable over Instagram DM. "Sometimes the comedic aspect of memes can disarm people that otherwise might be hostile to left-wing politics."

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The challenge of combating misinformation and hate speech in a space with fewer guardrails is ongoing. It involves the use of coded language, satire, and creative workarounds to bypass moderation, but leftist creators argue this is nothing new.

That subversion is political. Meta has struggled to manage politics on its platforms — for years, it allowed political content on its sites, which led to the spread of misinformation and extremism. By the early 2020s, Meta began oscillating between limiting and encouraging political discussion. This created a constant tension between Meta’s profit-driven motives and the creators who use its platforms for activism.

As Davey, who runs the meme page @renaissance__man on Instagram, told Mashable, Meta has always followed the money, not ideology.

View this post on Instagram Adapting to a hostile online climate

Hostility online isn't new for leftist creators, and these creators have always had to modify their content strategies to avoid suppression, shadowbanning, or algorithmic penalties. So, some posters are hoping to use these changes to their advantage.

John, for instance, says he "welcomes these changes."

"I’ve previously had to self-censor on Meta’s platforms," he told Mashable. "I’ve actually had content that was flagged as hateful before, which is something that I find laughable. The memes express a political opinion and are supposed to hopefully make people laugh."

He argues that his posts aren't hateful, and he doesn't think tech companies "should be adjudicating whether or not" they are.

"I see it as this is my enemy's house. I'm using my enemy's equipment and his machines and his algorithms against his interests."

Creator @bigdawgsocialism told Mashable that they are "way less careful about posting stuff that used to get me content strikes or suspensions," like using certain words.

"They say a master's tools will never disassemble a master's house," Davey said. "But a hammer is a hammer. And hammers smash. The house will be gone."

And, as Stephen Potter of @adorable__communism told Mashable, "I see it as this is my enemy's house. I'm using my enemy's equipment and his machines and his algorithms against his interests."

Davey added that while the rollback of content moderation could, in theory, benefit radical leftist speech as well, he’s skeptical that Meta will apply its enforcement evenly. This concern seems to be shared by many leftist meme creators. For instance, @bigdawgsocialism told Mashable that while these changes will likely create space for "nasty stuff overall," "theoretically, our side can post more of what we want." However, they also pointed out that "with the mainstream political climate becoming more reactionary, the cards are still stacked against the far left."

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According to Potter, "free speech absolutism isn't" afforded to leftist creators. He said it's "naive" to think the platform would begin treating leftist content any differently.

"It doesn't really apply to us because what we're talking about is the power structure and the people who own these things," Potter said. "If you're really gonna be an effective propagandist, you're not going to be the thing that Mark Zuckerberg likes. You're going to be the exact opposite of that. We're here against their wishes already."

Still, there is hope that political memes will remain powerful enough — through engagement and real-world impact — to warrant staying on the app.

"Though Trump's very unpopular policies that are hurting people will likely drive people towards different answers," @bigdawgsocialism said, "we can give them some class-based solutions to problems. Ones that lead with solidarity rather than scapegoating and division."

Why creators probably aren't leaving the app

No matter their internal politics or outward political posting, many creators probably aren't leaving the app. Despite disliking Meta’s policies, Arata feels compelled to stay on Instagram because it’s where her audience is — especially with a book release coming, one which she likely wouldn't have had without the success of her meme page. How else do you exist as a creative online without using the platforms at your disposal?

"There have been too many attempts to replace Facebook, Instagram, and X," John told Mashable. "It’s just not happening. I also have accounts on Bluesky and Threads, but I don’t particularly care for those platforms and often forget they exist when I have something to post."

View this post on Instagram

Stoner agreed, saying that since Instagram is such a visual platform, paired with a robust caption option, there isn't anything else comparable.

Beyond a lack of alternative platforms for creators to migrate to, as Potter puts it, "My concern about Meta's rightward shift is in lockstep with my concern about the country's rightward shift."

Meta’s rightward shift might be reshaping Instagram, but these meme creators see it as just another step in the platform’s long-standing trajectory. They don't want to leave the platform in protest only to see right-wing creators and narratives thrive. 

"The whole point of the meme page is to disrupt the imperialist narratives that they're going to use social media to push," Potter said. "So why would I leave? I wouldn't give [Zuckerberg] the satisfaction."

The issue, however, isn’t just Meta. Every major platform is a capitalist venture, and the fight for digital space remains a constant struggle for anti-capitalists. 

"I don't think any platform that is owned by a billionaire is going to be open to leftist anything," Stoner said. "They don't want challenges to their power, things that would disturb the status quo. They're interested in preserving it because that's how they're making ungodly amounts of money."

Is there hope for a meaningful social media platform under capitalism? Sure — as much as there is hope for any genuine community to thrive in a capitalist system. As long as memes remain a tool for subversion, creators will continue to post them.

Connections is a game from the New York Times that challenges you to find the association between words. It sounds easy, but it isn't—Connections categories can be almost anything, and they're usually quite specific. If you need a hand getting the answers, we've got you covered.

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Opens in a new window Credit: NanoPhone NanoPhone $99.97
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Opens in a new window Credit: Microsoft Microsoft Office Home & Business for Mac 2021: Lifetime License $39.99
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Opens in a new window Credit: Babbel Babbel Language Learning: Lifetime Subscription (All Languages) $129.99 at Mashable Shop
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Are you traveling internationally in 2025? Make sure you pack comfortable walking shoes, charging adapters, and one more thing: knowledge of the local language to make navigating a little easier. It not only could make your vacation a little more stress-free, but it could also make your trip abroad a lot more enriching.

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Opens in a new window Credit: Apple Refurbished 2017 Apple MacBook Pro (3.1GHz i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) $377.97
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Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 16 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Faint sign or sparkle

• Green: Things that go together

• Blue: Well-known puppet characters

• Purple: Dog breeds

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Glimmer

• Green: Correspond Well With

• Blue: Famous Puppets

• Purple: Dog Breeds Minus "er" Sound

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #616 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Glimmer: HINT, SUGGESTION, TOUCH, TRACE

• Correspond Well With: COMPLEMENT, FIT, MATCH, SUIT

• Famous Puppets: LAMB CHOP, OSCAR, PUNCH, TRIUMPH

• Dog Breeds Minus "er" Sound: BOX, POINT, RETRIEVE, SET

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 16

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Connections: Sports Edition is a new version of the popular New York Times word game that seeks to test the knowledge of sports fans.

Like the original Connections, the game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for the latest Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections Sports Edition?

The NYT's latest daily word game has launched in association with The Athletic, the New York Times property that provides the publication's sports coverage. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

Tweet may have been deleted

Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

Tweet may have been deleted

Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

Here's a hint for today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: Speed

• Green: Highlights for defensive football players

• Blue: Locations for high-speed racing

• Purple: Cities that host college teams in the same conference

Featured Video For You Connections: How to play and how to win Here are today's Connections Sports Edition categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Run

• Green: Stats for a defensive lineman

• Blue: NASCAR tracks

• Purple: ACC Cities

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections Sports Edition #146 is...

What is the answer to Connections Sports Edition today

• Run - DART, DASH, RACE, SPRINT

• Stats for a defensive lineman - HURRY, KNOCKDOWN, SACK, TACKLE FOR LOSS

• NASCAR tracks - DARLINGTON, DAYTONA, MARTINSVILLE, TALLADEGA

• ACC cities - BLACKSBURG, CHAPEL HILL, DURHAM, TALLAHASSEE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game.

Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 16 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 16 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Flour power

These words are often used in baking.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

The words are different types of flour.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is GlutenFree.

Featured Video For You Strands 101: How to win NYT’s latest word game NYT Strands word list for February 16

• Corn

• Almond

• Chickpea

• GlutenFree

• Buckwheat

• Rice

• Tapioca

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Oh hey there! If you're here, it must be time for Wordle. As always, we're serving up our daily hints and tips to help you figure out today's answer.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: 8NYT Connections today: Hints and answers for February 16 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT's The Mini crossword answers for February 16, 2025 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

Charming and smooth in manner.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no reoccurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter S.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

SUAVE.

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for February 16

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

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