NYT Strands Hints & Answer — Cold competition, February 18, 2026

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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “Cold competition”, February 18, 2026

Stuck on the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “Cold competition” puzzle (Strands #409 of 470 in our archive). Every reveal is hidden by default — click to open the ones you need.

Spoiler warning. The answers below are for the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle is “Cold competition”. Every theme word and the spangram connects back to this phrase, so think about what related words might fit a 6×8 grid of 48 letters before you start scanning.

Hint 2: Spangram length and first letterReveal

The spangram for the “Cold competition” puzzle is 12 letters long and starts with the letter W. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle has 5 theme words. Together with the spangram, they use every letter on the 6×8 grid exactly once.

Answer: Full spangramReveal

The spangram for the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands “Cold competition” puzzle is WINTERSPORTS. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 5 theme words for the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands “Cold competition” puzzle:

  • BOBSLED
  • CURLING
  • HOCKEY
  • LUGE
  • SNOWBOARDING

Plus the spangram WINTERSPORTS, that’s every word on the grid — all 48 letters accounted for.

Answers for the February 18, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "Cold competition" NYT Strands puzzle

The theme "Cold competition" sets the scene for this Strands puzzle with a descriptive phrase that hints at what the hidden words have in common. Descriptive themes in Strands work like a title for a category — they paint a picture, and the theme words are the details that fill it in. This sports & games puzzle asks you to find words that fit within the world the theme describes, with the spangram acting as the key that connects them all.

This puzzle has 5 theme words hidden in the grid — a balanced count that gives you enough to work with without overwhelming the board. The 12-letter spangram is notably long, consuming a good chunk of the grid's 48 letters. Its size makes it easier to find if you focus on the grid's edges. Originally published on a Wednesday, Puzzle #409 is a more recent addition to the 470+ puzzle archive.

#409
Puzzle Number
5
Theme Words
12
Spangram Letters
Medium
Difficulty

How to approach "Cold competition"

  • The theme paints a picture. Brainstorm 5-10 words that come to mind when you read it, then scan the grid for those words or close variants.
  • The long 12-letter spangram is your best starting point. Scan the edges of the grid — the spangram must start on one side and end on the opposite side.
  • Try reading the grid edges clockwise. The spangram's first and last letters will be on opposite edges, and edge letters are the fastest way to identify spangram candidates.
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Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive of past Strands puzzles. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. NYT Strands is a trademark of The New York Times Company. Today's daily puzzle is free at nytimes.com/games/strands.