Today’s Wordle Hints for Feb. 17, 2026 — Answer and Tips

Wordle players waking up on Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026 (ET) will find the daily puzzle’s answer is SQUAD. Below are targeted hints, a quick breakdown of why the word can be tricky and a few strategic tips to help you finish in fewer guesses.

Why SQUAD can feel tougher than it looks

SQUAD is a five-letter entry that doubles as both a noun and a verb. Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines it as "any small group of people working together" or the act of forming such a group. The presence of a relatively rare consonant makes this one stumble-inducing for many players: the letter Q appears and is usually paired with a U, which affects common letter-placement patterns. That Q-U pairing also limits typical consonant-vowel alternation you might expect in more familiar words.

Test players who solved the puzzle in advance averaged 4. 8 guesses, a mark that places this puzzle in the moderately challenging range. If your first guess didn’t reveal the Q or the unusual vowel pairing, don’t be surprised—this one rewards targeted logic over sheer letter frequency.

Hints and practical solving tips

• Direct hint: The answer begins with S and contains the letter Q.
• Vowel layout: Expect two vowels in the word—A and U appear together in this entry, which is less common than single-vowel solutions.
• Part of speech: The entry can be used as both a noun (a small team) and a verb (to form such a team), so consider both senses if you’re guessing from definitions.
• Starter words that help narrow letters: If you haven’t yet pinned down the Q, try starter guesses that use common consonants and vowels to expose letter positions. Commonly suggested openers like CRANE, ADIEU, STARE and ROAST remain useful for revealing or eliminating high-frequency letters before chasing the Q-U combination.
• If you find a Q in your guesses, remember it will almost always be followed by a U in standard English words—use that pattern to constrain your next guesses.

How to recover mid-game

If you’re three guesses in and still hunting the Q, slow down the random guessing. Lock in any confirmed letters and test likely placements for the U and A. Because SQUAD starts with S, placing S early as a confirmed first letter reduces the number of permutations dramatically. From there, prioritize words that test unusual consonants or vowel pairings to force the puzzle into reveal mode.

Finally, remember that Wordle is designed to reward pattern recognition. Spotting the Q-U pairing, confirming the S in front and checking for A and D will typically close the puzzle in one or two final moves once those pieces are in place.

If you prefer to avoid spoilers, stop here — the answer is already revealed above. For everyone else: good luck, and may your next guess be the right one.