NYT Strands Hints & Answer — True grit, February 20, 2026

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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “True grit”, February 20, 2026

Stuck on the February 20, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “True grit” puzzle (Strands #411 of 471 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 20, 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 20, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle is “True grit”. 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 “True grit” puzzle is 9 letters long and starts with the letter S. 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 20, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle has 6 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 20, 2026 NYT Strands “True grit” puzzle is SANDPAPER. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 6 theme words for the February 20, 2026 NYT Strands “True grit” puzzle:

  • ABRASIVE
  • COARSE
  • HARSH
  • PRICKLY
  • ROUGH
  • SCRATCHY

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

Answers for the February 20, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "True grit" NYT Strands puzzle

This puzzle is themed "True grit", a descriptive phrase that captures the essence of what you're searching for. In Strands, descriptive themes give you a broad direction without being too specific — the fun is in discovering exactly which general words the puzzle maker chose to represent the idea. The spangram will name the core concept, and the theme words are its supporting cast.

This puzzle has 6 theme words hidden in the grid — a balanced count that gives you enough to work with without overwhelming the board. With 9 letters, the spangram is mid-length — long enough to stand out in the grid but still requiring careful scanning to trace from edge to edge. Originally published on a Friday, Puzzle #411 is a more recent addition to the 471+ puzzle archive.

#411
Puzzle Number
6
Theme Words
9
Spangram Letters
Medium
Difficulty

How to approach "True grit"

  • 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.
  • Start by scanning the grid edges for the spangram — it must connect two opposite sides. Once you find it, the theme becomes clear and the remaining words are easier to spot.
  • Theme words can bend and curve in any direction, including diagonals. They don't follow straight lines like a traditional word search — trace paths that zigzag across the grid.
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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.