Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, February 17, 2026
Tuesday's Strands board has seven theme words plus a 11-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "The year of the ...". The ladder below climbs from the theme to the spangram - take one hint at a time.
Hints, in order
Hint 0 of 3Tap to show one hint at a time.
Hint 1 of 3
The NYT clue is "The year of the ..." - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 11 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The seven theme words run 4 to 6 letters (lengths: 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with Z and ends with S. It is ZODIACSIGNS - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all seven theme words.
SPANGRAM
ZODIACSIGNS
DRAGONTheme word
GOATTheme word
HORSETheme word
MONKEYTheme word
RABBITTheme word
SNAKETheme word
TIGERTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
A 5x5 grid. Show one answer at a time, or open the full grid.