Daily Puzzle Solution
NYT Crossword
Monday, February 16, 2026
The New York Times crossword puzzle for Monday, February 16, 2026 features 78 clues. Today's puzzle has an average answer length of 4.8 letters. The longest answer is "THEWIZARDOFID".
Total Clues
78
Longest
THEWIZARDOFID
Avg Length
4.8
Shortest
BOD
Featured Clue
"Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom"
13 Letters
THEWIZARDOFID
ALLComplete Solution List
Necklace fastener
5CLASP
Physique, slangily
3BOD
__ to that!
4AMEN
Textile city NNE of Paris
5LILLE
New wave band with the hit "Whip It"
4DEVO
Improvise, in jazz
4VAMP
Stared rudely
5OGLED
Late-night kitchen visit, e.g.
4RAID
Stench
4ODOR
Longtime comic strip set in a medieval kingdom
13THEWIZARDOFID
Home for pigs
3STY
Teen wearing heavy eyeliner, maybe
4GOTH
Really, really cool
6BADASS
My dude!
3BRO
Computer operating system developed by Bell Labs
4UNIX
___-Hulk
3SHE
Charge for airing a commercial
5ADFEE
Fictional lab assistant with a hunchback
4IGOR
Stylish
4CHIC
Capital of the Gem State, in a mailing address
7BOISEID
Possible cybercrime, informally
7IDTHEFT
M.I.T. Mystery ___ (annual puzzle competition)
4HUNT
Close by
4NEAR
Corrosion signs
5RUSTS
Stadium cheer
3OLE
Glance through
4SCAN
Reader's Digest or Golf Digest, in brief
3MAG
Where clams are served
6RAWBAR
Knotted up
4TIED
Rep.'s counterpart
3DEM
Makes no difference to me
13IDGOEITHERWAY
Actress Kendrick
4ANNA
Hourly pay rate
4WAGE
Flock that honks
5GEESE
Follow directions
4OBEY
Conga, for one
4DRUM
Chicago's __ Planetarium
5ADLER
Scottish girl
4LASS
Place to get a rubdown
3SPA
Voting spots
5POLLS
Thickens, as cream
5CLOTS
Not heavy
5LIGHT
Narrow way between city buildings
5ALLEY
Whole bunch
4SLEW
Horse's ancestral line
8PEDIGREE
Hearty embrace
7BEARHUG
Roman poet who wrote "Metamorphoses"
4OVID
Dull-witted sort
8DODOBIRD
Eschew
5AVOID
Frantic scrambles
9MADDASHES
Rock subgenre with confessional lyrics
3EMO
All Things Considered airer
3NPR
Fiddlesticks!
4DRAT
D.C.'s National ___
3ZOO
Kind of number on an old business card
3FAX
Change gears
5SHIFT
Religious offshoots
5SECTS
Top-tier
4BEST
Pinot ___
4NOIR
Give 0 stars in a review, say
5ABHOR
One giving support during childbirth
5DOULA
High-quality reds and whites
9FINEWINES
Something to noodle on
4IDEA
Drink very quickly
4CHUG
Glitterati
8INCROWDS
Shortfall of exports vis-à-vis imports
8TRADEGAP
One of the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean
7ANTIGUA
Droop
3SAG
It's just OK
3MEH
Occasions for blowing out candles on cakes, informally
5BDAYS
Agenda bullet point
4ITEM
Linger (on), as a topic
5DWELL
Art supporter?
5EASEL
Mike who voiced Shrek in "Shrek"
5MYERS
Wyatt at the O.K. Corral
4EARP
Make over
4REDO
Early leader in instant messaging
3AOL
Org. for the Raptors, but not the Blue Jays
3NBA