The answer to today’s Wordle, February 16, 2026, is ROOST, according to the New York Times’ daily word puzzle. The puzzle, number 1703, presented a challenge for many players due to its inclusion of a double letter and less common letter combinations, prompting some to seek hints before attempting a solution.
Prior to revealing the answer, the New York Times offered a series of clues. Players were advised the word contained a repeated letter and only one vowel – which was also the repeated letter. Further hints narrowed the possibilities, indicating the word began with “R” and ended with “T,” and referred to a location where birds gather.
Yesterday’s Wordle, number 1702, was SKULL. Recent solutions include VEGAN (February 11, number 1698), SURGE (February 12, number 1699), MOOCH (February 13, number 1700), and BLOOM (February 14, number 1701).
The New York Times acquired Wordle in 2022, adding it to a suite of popular games that includes The Crossword, The Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee, Letter Boxed, Connections, Strands, and the recently launched Crossplay. The NYT Games app, available on iOS and Android, allows subscribers to access a puzzle archive of over 10,000 past games, as well as hints and forums for discussion.
Beyond Wordle, the NYT Games portfolio offers a variety of daily challenges. Connections tasks players with grouping words by shared themes, whereas Strands challenges them to uncover hidden words within a grid. Spelling Bee tests vocabulary skills, and Sudoku provides a logic-based number puzzle. The newest addition, Pips, is a numbers game involving dominoes.
