USA Today Crossword Answers Today: Year of the Horse (February 17, 2026)

USA Today Crossword Answers Today: February 17, 2026

Theme: “Year of the Horse”

USA Today crossword answers today 2026-02-17

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Today’s Puzzle Details & Analysis

Before looking at the USA crossword puzzle answers, let’s take a look at the data behind today’s game. This grid was constructed by Stella Chu Hui Zawistowski and edited by Amanda Rafkin.

Puzzle Date February 17, 2026 (Tuesday)
Theme / Title Year of the Horse
Grid Size 15×15 Squares
Difficulty Level Easy
Across Clues 39 clues
Down Clues 37 clues
Total Clues 76 words

🕵️‍♂️ Theme Breakdown: “Year of the Horse”

The title of the USA Today newspaper crossword puzzle is always the biggest hint. The longest answers in the grid usually follow the rule or pun suggested by the title. Here are the main anchor words for today:

    📝 Common Crosswordese in Today’s Grid

    Crossword puzzles often repeat short 3 and 4-letter words to connect the longer theme words. Memorizing these will make solving the USA crossword daily much easier. Here are a few from today’s puzzle:

    • Bounding gaitLOPE
    • Computer monitor’s placeDESK
    • Solemn promiseVOW

    Interactive USA Today Crossword Solver

    Use our interactive grid below to find the answers to USA Today crossword puzzle. Click the “Show” button next to any clue to reveal the word. The grid will highlight the answer so you can easily fill it in on your screen or paper.

    USA Today Crossword: Year of the Horse
    1M
    2A
    3R
    4S
    5H
    6A
    7C
    8A
    9I
    10S
    11M
    12O
    13L
    14A
    L
    I
    K
    E
    15F
    O
    R
    M
    16L
    I
    V
    E
    17N
    O
    V
    E
    L
    18G
    L
    A
    D
    19O
    N
    E
    S
    20I
    N
    E
    E
    D
    21A
    H
    O
    B
    B
    22Y
    23I
    N
    S
    24S
    E
    T
    25M
    A
    N
    26A
    27W
    A
    R
    E
    28S
    29V
    E
    N
    30B
    31A
    S
    E
    T
    A
    N
    32P
    O
    O
    R
    33E
    A
    T
    34B
    U
    C
    S
    35G
    L
    O
    W
    I
    36N
    T
    H
    E
    37D
    A
    R
    K
    38S
    O
    O
    T
    39C
    O
    D
    40L
    O
    P
    E
    41H
    O
    T
    H
    42E
    A
    D
    43W
    I
    S
    P
    44I
    D
    L
    E
    R
    45S
    E
    E
    46N
    47O
    48S
    49P
    S
    I
    50R
    51U
    52N
    N
    E
    R
    53S
    54H
    I
    G
    H
    55P
    A
    N
    56T
    57S
    C
    A
    N
    58M
    A
    C
    R
    O
    59E
    V
    E
    S
    60S
    A
    R
    I
    61O
    T
    H
    E
    R
    62D
    E
    S
    K
    63R
    A
    K
    E
    64G
    E
    E
    S
    E
    1Everglades wetland
    MARSH
    6Berry with a cedilla in its name
    ACAI
    10Tiny, in memes
    SMOL
    14Very similar
    ALIKE
    15Piece of paperwork
    FORM
    16Not prerecorded
    LIVE
    17New and unusual
    NOVEL
    18Full of cheer
    GLAD
    19Common tipping bills
    ONES
    20“Note to self: Do more fun things”
    INEEDAHOBBY
    23___ and outs
    INS
    24Ready to go
    SET
    25“Whatta ___” (Salt-N-Pepa hit)
    MAN
    26Fully informed
    AWARE
    28“Frozen” reindeer
    SVEN
    30Dubious bit of “protection” before a beach trip
    BASETAN
    32D-worthy
    POOR
    33Chow down
    EAT
    34Nickname for baseball’s Pirates
    BUCS
    35Exhibit phosphorescence
    GLOWINTHEDARK
    38Gunk in a chimney
    SOOT
    39Bacalaito fish
    COD
    40Bounding gait
    LOPE
    41Person with a hair-trigger temper
    HOTHEAD
    43Thread of smoke
    WISP
    44Do-nothing
    IDLER
    45“TOLD you so!”
    SEE
    46Rejections
    NOS
    49Trident-shaped Greek letter
    PSI
    50Feeling of euphoria during a marathon
    RUNNERSHIGH
    55Breathe hard
    PANT
    57Examine quickly
    SCAN
    58Carbs, fat or protein, for short
    MACRO
    59Nights before holidays
    EVES
    60Garment similar to a lehenga
    SARI
    61Catchall category
    OTHER
    62Computer monitor’s place
    DESK
    63Garden tool with teeth
    RAKE
    64Honking birds
    GEESE
    1Nail salon treatments
    MANIS
    2Enjoying a solo date, say
    ALONE
    3Metal fastener on jeans
    RIVET
    4___-Ball (arcade game)
    SKEE
    5Didn’t give way
    HELD
    6Crochet project with squares
    AFGHAN
    7Punctuation seen on digital alarm clocks
    COLON
    8Many a Yemen native
    ARAB
    9Film lover’s website
    IMDB
    10___-mo (film technique)
    SLO
    11Like items in dollhouses
    MINIATURE
    12What a sheet pan sits on
    OVENRACK
    13Reduces
    LESSENS
    21Word after “North” or “Central”
    AMERICA
    22Encouragement for a drag queen
    YAS
    27Software program run through a browser
    WEBAPP
    28Console
    SOOTHE
    29Solemn promise
    VOW
    30Cry of contempt
    BAH
    31Fashion designer’s studio
    ATELIER
    32Story threads
    PLOTLINES
    33When a plane leaves, for short
    ETD
    35Compliment for an ice hockey goalie
    GOODSAVE
    36Wordless “yes”
    NOD
    37Tres menos uno
    DOS
    38Used UPS, say
    SHIPPED
    42Lean too far back while snowboarding, say
    ERR
    43Nickname for a dachshund
    WEENIE
    45Sarcastic remarks
    SNARK
    46Not mainstream, like ski mountaineering
    NICHE
    47Big meanies
    OGRES
    48“Jersey ___” (reality show)
    SHORE
    51Former world power
    USSR
    52Org. with scholar-athletes
    NCAA
    53Pollution that’s visible
    SMOG
    54Can’t stand
    HATE
    56“I disapprove!”
    TSK

    Tips to Solve the Daily Crossword USA Today

    If you want to get better at solving the crosswords USA Today publishes without using cheats, try these easy tips:

    • Read the Theme: Today’s title is “Year of the Horse”. This is a big hint. The longest words in the puzzle will match this theme.
    • Find the Blanks: Look for clues that have a blank space (like “Rock and ___”). These are usually the easiest to guess.
    • Check Plurals: If the clue is plural (like “Cats and Dogs”), the answer will almost always end with an ‘S’. Write the ‘S’ in your grid right away.
    • Look for Common Words: The USA Today crossword puzzles use short filler words like ERA, ORE, and ANT a lot. Keep an eye out for them!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Where can I find the USA Today crossword puzzle answers for today?

    You can find all the correct USA Today crossword answers today right here on WordFinder Tips. We update this page every morning with the new grid and solutions.

    Is the USA Today daily crossword easy or hard?

    The difficulty changes every day. The USA Today easy crossword is usually on Monday and Tuesday. It becomes a USA medium crossword by Wednesday, and a USA hard crossword by Friday and Saturday.

    Are there free crossword puzzles USA Today offers?

    Yes! You can play the USA Today free crossword puzzle online on their official website or app. It is completely free to play every day.

    What time does the USA crossword update?

    The new daily crossword puzzle USA Today releases is available at midnight Eastern Time. We post the answers shortly after.

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