#718Thursday, February 19, 2026
Strands answers for February 19, 2026 — “Here's a thought” (#718)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for February 19, 2026 (puzzle #718) is EUREKA, a 6-letter answer to the theme "Here's a thought". The 6 theme words are CONCEPT, HYPOTHESIS, IDEA, NOTION, POSTULATE and THEORY.
Where is each answer on the February 19 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #718 is 6 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CONCEPT | 7 | row 1, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | top to bottom |
| HYPOTHESIS | 10 | row 3, column 1 | row 4, column 4 | left to right |
| IDEA | 4 | row 2, column 1 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| NOTION | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| POSTULATE | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| THEORY | 6 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| EUREKA | 6 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the February 19 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 6 letters6 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads A-E-H-E-C-N, row 2 reads I-D-T-S-O-C, row 3 reads H-P-O-I-P-E, row 4 reads E-Y-R-S-K-T, row 5 reads P-U-T-E-O-A, row 6 reads O-H-Y-N-I-T, row 7 reads S-E-O-R-O-N, and row 8 reads T-U-L-A-T-E.
How hard was the February 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands #718 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 15% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the February 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #718 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the February 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on February 19, 2026?
The Strands clue for February 19, 2026 is “Here's a thought”, on puzzle #718. It is answered by the spangram EUREKA, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on February 19, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for February 19, 2026 are CONCEPT, HYPOTHESIS, IDEA, NOTION, POSTULATE and THEORY, plus the spangram EUREKA.
What was the big word in the February 19, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for February 19, 2026 is EUREKA, 6 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 5, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Here's a thought” mean?
The Strands theme “Here's a thought” for February 19, 2026 means EUREKA — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands February 19, 2026?
Strands puzzle #718 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the February 19, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #718 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 15% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on February 19, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, February 19, 2026 is #718, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in February 2026, part of the full Strands archive.