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The NYT Connections answers for Tuesday, February 17, 2026, are hidden below the progressive hints. This is puzzle #982, with categories involving fast movement, Chinese-cuisine sauces, scanning reading material, and words beginning with synonyms for “dud.”
Need help with NYT Connections #982? The Tuesday, February 17, 2026, puzzle asks you to sort 16 words into four groups of four. Use the hints below in order, then open the spoiler section for the complete categories and answers.
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NYT Connections #982 hints for February 17, 2026
Each group contains four tiles connected by a common idea. The hints become more specific as you go.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteYellow hint
Think of words that mean to move very quickly.
Green hint
These are sauces commonly associated with Chinese cuisine.
#1 Best Overall
Blue hint
Think of ways to quickly look through reading material.
Purple hint
Each answer begins with a word that can mean “dud.”
Need one tile from each group?
For a stronger nudge without revealing every answer:
Rank #2
- Yellow: DART
- Green: PLUM
- Blue: THUMB
- Purple: BUSTLE
Spoiler warning: February 17 Connections answers
Stop here if you are still solving. The complete tile groups and explanations appear below.
Yellow: ZOOM
DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP
Each word can describe rapid movement or going very fast. “Dart” and “flash” can work as verbs for moving quickly, while “speed” and “zip” can also express fast movement.
Green: SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE
HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY
These are sauce names or sauce types associated with Chinese cooking: hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, plum sauce, and soy sauce.
Blue: RIFFLE (THROUGH)
FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB
These words connect to quickly looking through pages or reading material. You can flip through, leaf through, skim, or thumb through a magazine or book. The shared idea is to riffle through something.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Purple: STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “DUD”
BOMBAY, BUSTLE, FLOPPY, MISSUS
The wordplay is at the beginning of each tile:
- BOMBAY starts with bomb.
- BUSTLE starts with bust.
- FLOPPY starts with flop.
- MISSUS starts with miss.
“Bomb,” “bust,” “flop,” and “miss” can each describe a dud, failure, or unsuccessful result.
The complete February 17 tile list
The 16 tiles in Connections #982 were:
PLUM, LEAF, FLASH, BUSTLE, THUMB, OYSTER, FLOPPY, ZIP, SKIM, SOY, DART, BOMBAY, SPEED, FLIP, HOISIN, MISSUS.
The main red herring
A tempting incorrect group is FLASH, FLOPPY, THUMB, ZIP. Each word can suggest computer storage or a storage device: flash storage, a floppy disk, a thumb drive, and a ZIP drive.
That grouping is designed to look plausible, but it is not one of the puzzle’s four accepted categories. FLASH belongs with DART, SPEED, and ZIP in the “ZOOM” group; FLOPPY belongs in the purple wordplay group; and THUMB belongs with FLIP, LEAF, and SKIM.
How the puzzle fits together
The easiest group to confirm is usually the Chinese-cuisine sauces: HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, and SOY form a clean set. From there, the reading-related words point to the phrase “riffle through,” leaving the fast-movement words and the more unusual prefix-based purple group.
Best Value
- Find hundreds of words in an easy to read format - Some words you'll spot easily, but you'll have to search hard for others.
- A wide range of puzzle topics, including movies, actors, sports, cars, and more!
- Variations on the standard word search puzzles are included for extra challenge.
- Answer key in the back of the book.
- Spiral bound, 192 pages.
The purple category is the most misleading because the four full words do not appear related at first glance. Remove their endings and look only at their starts—bomb, bust, flop, and miss—and the “dud” connection becomes clear.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.When does the NYT Connections puzzle reset?
A new Connections puzzle appears every day. The reset occurs at midnight in the player’s local time, so “today’s” puzzle can differ by time zone around the changeover. This guide refers specifically to Tuesday, February 17, 2026, puzzle #982, rather than using the relative word “today.”
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Connections answer for February 17, 2026?
The NYT Connections puzzle for February 17, 2026, is game #982. Its groups are ZOOM; SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE; RIFFLE (THROUGH); and STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “DUD.”
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →When does the daily NYT Connections puzzle change?
The February 17 puzzle resets at midnight in the player’s local time, so the date attached to a daily puzzle can vary around the reset depending on time zone.
The Bottom Line
The answers for NYT Connections #982 on Tuesday, February 17, 2026, are ZOOM (DART, FLASH, SPEED, ZIP), SAUCES IN CHINESE CUISINE (HOISIN, OYSTER, PLUM, SOY), RIFFLE (THROUGH) (FLIP, LEAF, SKIM, THUMB), and STARTING WITH SYNONYMS FOR “DUD” (BOMBAY, BUSTLE, FLOPPY, MISSUS).
Quick Recap
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