Here are the Letter Boxed February 16, 2026 Answers from New York Times Games. Our solutions and answers are 100% valid and accurate. We suggest trying to solve the game on your own before using the help of our website.
Sides of this Letter Box are:
RSTQAINXEOUG
The answers are:
AXINGGROTESQUE
ORANGEQUIT-TAXIS
When a bird doesn’t want to spread its wings, but wants a chauffeur instead.
Brilliant! I LOVE your answer. Excellent work with ORANGEQUIT. Not a word I have heard of before.
In contrast, I got the dull OA, instantly. Surprised to see my answer was the OA, considering how many possibilities were available in today’s grid (even with X and Q!)
14/16, 41/47
I also found SQUARING – GEOTAXIS. Not sure which solution I like more. I was unable to connect EQUINOX, anyone?
Oops… See below…
OA slight overshoot with:
TAXING – GROTESQUE.
13/16.
42/47.
continuous streak: 6
OA adjacent with Taxing-Grotesque. Which I shortened from Untaxing. Quick one today. 45/46 16/16, 19/19
Thank you! Several of my friends love birds, and one lives in Jamaica, so it was a very apt discovery. STRANGE could have connected with EQUINOX had we not had STR (and EX eliminated had me worried early on) and I stared at it for a while trying to get it to work, but didn’t see it.
Oh. DAMN IT. Kanishk – SEGREGATE-EQUINOX.
AXING-GROTESQUE is quite cool though, so well done – LOVE SQUARING-GEOTAXIS, cracking find!
Kicking myself right now because there are at LEAST three words I could have paired with EQUINOX, I just didn’t spend enough time on it. Oh well. And thank you!
SEGREGATE—EQUINOX
SIGNATURE—EQUINOX
Also, your SQUARING—GEOTAXIS is a symmetric pair. GEOTAXIS—SQUARING. 👍
Aaah, I just realised that. Thanks!
Segregate equinox
Got SIGNATURE EQUINOX. Surprised it wouldn’t take the plural of REQUISITIONINGS SAX.
I guess REQUISITIONING GEOTAXI would work too, but had never seen that word until just now.
Oops again… GEOTAXIS.
Good one. I have no idea how I failed to see SIGNATURE!
That makes two of us! *kicks self*
Me three
Signature equinox here as well
AXING—GROTESQUE
RAGEQUIT—TOXINS
ORANGEQUIT—TAXIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SEGREGATE—EQUINOX
SIGNATURE—EQUINOX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SQUARING ⇄ GEOTAXIS
GEOTAXIS ⇆ SQUARING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AEROTAXIS—SQUINTING
An LB-Bountiful day!
☕
GEOTAXIS SQUINTER also works.
Also INQUIRING – GEOTAXIS.
REQUITING–GEOTAXIS
QUIXOTES is also accepted by a lot of word-check sites, with SQUARING, etc.
Requisitioning gateaux
Same
Requisitioning gateaux
A piece of cake!
Oxgangs Squinter
Nonsequitur Retaxing
Nonsequitur Raxing
that was my solution
Taxing
Grotesque
Me too
OA = DOGE job cuts. Except Musk preferred his chainsaw.
INQUISITOR-RETAXING
(Tried, but failed, to avoid the RE thing)
Same here. Story of an IRS audit.
Same, but wish I had seen nonsequitur.
TAXING GROTESQUE first time out.
NONSEQUITUR-RETAXING
Taxing grotesque
Requisitor – Raxing
Played with Requiting, Requiring, Requisitories first. I think there may be a pairing here somewhere
REQUISITOR RETAXING
GROTESQUES SAXONITE*
*OED and Encyclopaedic Dictionary, 1903
REQUISITIONING GEOTAXIS
Not very efficient, but it works
Inquisitor-retaxing
CG
Signature & Equinox
TOXINS SQUIRAGE*
*OED
SIGNATURE EQUINOX
NONSEQUITUR RETAXING
SQUARING – GEOTAXIS
AEROTAXIS – SQUARING
QUIXOTES* SEARING
*MW n. Someone who is quixotic.
One of my first tries( been reading Don Quixote for a year probably- very slowly) should have checked when LB didn’t accept. Squaring snaring soaring segregating segregation to add to yours
And sarong
Road to La Mancha?
Taxing grotesque/grotesquerie(s)
Requisitioning geaux as in geaux tigahs! Cajun -speak for the uninitiated
AEROTAXIS / SQUINTING
Nice variety today. I got TORQUING-GEOTAXIS, although I don’t think torquing can be attained via geotaxis, in fact I would expect the opposite except for figure skaters 😀
Taxing – Grotesque