NYT Mini · 7-Across · 5 letters
Sea ___, animal that builds the conch shell NYT Mini crossword clue
Editorially reviewed September 7, 2026
Answer · 5 letters
SNAIL
SNAIL fills the five-letter blank to make “sea snail.” A conch is a marine snail: its shell is part of its own growth, not simply a home it finds on the seabed.
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The completed phrase is SEA SNAIL, but SEA is already supplied by the clue. Put S N A I L in the five empty squares, not SEASNAIL. The phrase after the comma explains which kind of animal the completed phrase names.
Conch: the animal and its shell
“Conch” can refer to a sea snail as well as its familiar shell. NOAA identifies queen conchs as large marine gastropods—the group that includes snails and slugs. That makes the clue's shell-builder a SNAIL, rather than a fish or an animal merely sheltering in an empty shell.
References behind this explanation
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Where this clue appeared
7-Across in NYT Mini puzzle for August 27, 2026.
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