Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #718, February 19

NYT Strands on a cellphone
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide/NY Times/Shutterstock)
Strands today: Quick menu

Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? No shame in that, and you've come to the right place. Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #718 as well as the answers, should it come to that.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #718.

Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #718 is... "Here's a thought."

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Sudden inspiration".

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

  • PHONY
  • POST
  • COPE
  • POISE
  • TRIPE
  • SHONE
  • ELATE
  • SKATE

Still struggling? The spangram touches two opposite sides of the board (but can start and end anywhere), and will give you a hint about the connection between the answers. Today, it starts with 'E' and ends with 'A'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...


It's EUREKA.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #718?

Drumroll, please...

  • HYPOTHESIS
  • IDEA
  • CONCEPT
  • NOTION
  • POSTULATE
  • THEORY

Strands #718

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was EUREKA.

Strands #718

“Here's a thought”

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Hi Strands fans. I think today's puzzle would have been tricky if I hadn't lucked out and seen one of the longest words right away.

That was HYPOTHESIS in the top half of the grid, and it was laid out in such a way that four letters were isolated in the top-left corner, giving me my second answer of IDEA immediately.

CONCEPT was to the right, and I then saw the spangram of EUREKA spelt out underneath the three.

But this strong start came to an abrupt halt, as I couldn't see any more answers in the bottom half, and had to use a clue to get moving again.

It gave me NOTION on the right-hand side, which then allowed me to get POSTULATE in an 'L' shape around the left corner. All that was left was to connect THEORY to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #717.

Strands #717

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • SNOWBOARDING
  • BOBSLED
  • CURLING
  • LUGE
  • HOCKEY

...and the spangram was WINTERSPORTS.

Strands #717

“Cold competition”

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Hi Strands fans. Another Winter Olympics themed puzzle, and even though I haven't been watching, it was pretty easy to complete this one without reaching for clues.

The theme of "Cold competition" set me on the right path, and I saw WINTERSPORTS written diagonally across the board from the top-left corner to the bottom right to neatly divide the grid in two.

I then found SNOWBOARDING on the right-hand side, with BOBSLED above it to complete the section.

Moving onto the left-hand side, I found CURLING along the bottom, with LUGE at the top. That just left HOCKEY between the two to complete the puzzle.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.