NYT Strands hints, answers for February 18, 2026

The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience. Home > Entertainment > Games NYT Strands hints, answers for February 18, 2026 Every hint, nudge and outright answer you need to complete today's NYT Strands puzzle. By Mashable Team on February 17, 2026 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Flipboard Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you've been watching the Olympics.Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically. SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace. SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for February 18, 2026 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for February 18, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Cold competitionThe words are related to sports. Mashable Top Stories Stay connected with the hottest stories of the day and the latest entertainment news. Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newsletter Loading... Sign Me Up Use this instead By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up! Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explainedThese words describe cold activities.NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?Today's NYT Strands spangram is vertical.NYT Strands spangram answer todayToday's spangram is Zodiac Signs.NYT Strands word list for February 18LugeHockeyCurlingWinter SportsBobsledSnowboardingLooking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to yesterday's Strands. Topics Strands