NYT Connections February 18 2026 Answers
Puzzle #983
EDITED BY WYNA LIUToday's 16-word board, in its starting order:
HEAVY CRESTED BAD FEATHER FLY TEASE BANTAM TOPICAL CURL SOUR WICKED LEGHORN SHAVING CRIMP FREE-RANGE RAD
Category hints (no spoilers)
Yellow — RETRO HAIR DIRECTIVES
Green — RETRO SLANG FOR COOL
Blue — CHICKEN DESCRIPTORS
Purple — ___ CREAM
RETRO HAIR DIRECTIVESCRIMP, CURL, FEATHER, TEASE
RETRO SLANG FOR COOLBAD, FLY, RAD, WICKED
CHICKEN DESCRIPTORSBANTAM, CRESTED, FREE-RANGE, LEGHORN
___ CREAMHEAVY, SHAVING, SOUR, TOPICAL
Checked against the official NYT Connections solution
How Connections works
Connections gives you 16 words that form four secret groups of four. Find each group — yellow is the easiest, then green, blue, and the famously tricky purple. You're allowed four mistakes. A new puzzle drops daily at midnight; play free at nytimes.com.