Today's NYT Strands is live for Thursday, February 19, 2026 (Puzzle #718). Stuck on today's Strands? We've got progressive hints, from gentle nudges to full solutions, so you can solve at your own pace.
How Strands Works (New Players Start Here)
Strands hides themed words inside a 6x8 letter grid. Your mission: find every word connected to the day's theme. Letters link in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) and words can twist and turn. Every letter gets used exactly once.
The spangram is the key word or phrase that captures the theme and stretches across the entire board, touching opposite edges.
Need a boost? Find any 4+ letter word (even non-theme words) three times, and the game reveals a hint highlighting theme word letters.
Theme Decoder
Today's Theme Prompt: "Here's a thought"
What It Really Means
You're looking for words related to ideas, concepts, or mental constructs, anything that represents a thought or intellectual notion.
Think About...
- Words for different types of ideas or concepts
- Synonyms for "thought" or "idea"
- Academic or philosophical terms for mental constructs
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Zig-zag from left to right
Letter Count: 6 letters
Starting Zone: First letter of the fourth row
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): The classic exclamation when you suddenly understand something
Hint 2 (Warmer): Associated with Archimedes and scientific breakthroughs
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is E, last letter is A
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EUREKA
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A basic mental concept
Closer: What you get when inspiration strikes
Letter Clue: Starts with I, 4 letters total
Answer
IDEA
Word 2
Vague: A scientific proposition to be tested
Closer: An educated guess that requires evidence
Letter Clue: Starts with H, 10 letters total
Answer
HYPOTHESIS
Word 3
Vague: An abstract mental construct
Closer: A general notion or understanding
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 7 letters total
Answer
CONCEPT
Word 4
Vague: To propose something as a basis for reasoning
Closer: A fundamental assumption in logic or mathematics
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 9 letters total
Answer
POSTULATE
Word 5
Vague: A systematic explanation of phenomena
Closer: A well-substantiated explanation in science
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 6 letters total
Answer
THEORY
Word 6
Vague: A vague or general idea
Closer: A slight understanding or inkling
Letter Clue: Starts with N, 6 letters total
Answer
NOTION
Full Answers
Spangram: EUREKA
Theme Words:
- IDEA
- HYPOTHESIS
- CONCEPT
- POSTULATE
- THEORY
- NOTION
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: POSTULATE (Less common in everyday vocabulary compared to other thought-related terms)
Our Take: A clever theme that explores different levels of thought, from simple ideas to complex theories. The spangram EUREKA perfectly captures the "aha!" moment when a thought crystallizes. Solid word selection with a good mix of common and academic terms.
