Connections Hints
Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Words from the NYT Connections puzzle — February 17, 2026
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Show the word gridAll 16 words — you figure out the groups
Show the themesCategory names only, no words revealed
One word per groupTheme name + one word per category
Full solutionAll words and explanations
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Word grid
All 16 words, sorted alphabetically. Group them into four categories of four.
BOMBAY
BUSTLE
DART
FLASH
FLIP
FLOPPY
HOISIN
LEAF
MISSUS
OYSTER
PLUM
SKIM
SOY
SPEED
THUMB
ZIP
Themes
The four category names, easiest to hardest. No words revealed yet.
ZOOMStraightforward
SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINEModerate
RIFFLE (THROUGH)Tricky
STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "DUD"Devious
One word per group
Theme name plus one word from each category.
ZOOMStraightforward
WORDS MEANING TO MOVE VERY FAST+ 3 more…
SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINEModerate
CONDIMENTS FOUND ON A DIM SUM TABLE+ 3 more…
RIFFLE (THROUGH)Tricky
WAYS TO BROWSE QUICKLY THROUGH PAGES+ 3 more…
STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "DUD"Devious
EACH WORD BEGINS WITH A SYNONYM FOR 'FAILURE' OR 'DUD'+ 3 more…
Full solution
ZOOMStraightforward
DART,FLASH,SPEED,ZIP
DART, FLASH, SPEED, and ZIP all mean to move rapidly, synonymous with ZOOM
SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINEModerate
HOISIN,OYSTER,PLUM,SOY
HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, and SOY are all classic sauces used in Chinese cuisine
RIFFLE (THROUGH)Tricky
FLIP,LEAF,SKIM,THUMB
FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, and THUMB all mean to riffle through a book or document casually
STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR "DUD"Devious
BOMBAY,BUSTLE,FLOPPY,MISSUS
BOMB-ay, BUS-tle, FLOP-py, and MISS-us each start with a word meaning dud or failure: BOMB, BUS(T), FLOP, and MISS