Today's Strands Answer: Hints & Solution for February 17, 2026

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might look simple at first glance, but don’t be fooled, as it’s full of sneaky connections and clever twists.

Strands is a daily game that puts your vocabulary, logic, and pattern recognition to the test. Each puzzle gives you a 6x8 grid of seemingly random letters, which hide a set of six words that are connected by a specific theme.

Your job is to find them all, along with the special Spangram, an additional word or phrase, that ties everything back together to the theme.

The game is straightforward in concept, but each day’s theme can range from obvious to cryptic. That's why it doesn't hurt to get a little help from time to time.

Hints for Today's Strands

The theme for today's Strands is "The year of the..." It's a reference to the Chinese zodiac, a 12-year cycle where each year is represented by an animal and its associated attributes. That said, you'll be looking for these animals in today's puzzle. Meanwhile, the Spangram is a two-word phrase that is the formal term to describe this classification scheme.

The New York Times has rated today's puzzle, number 716, as easy in difficulty.

Hint Words

Here are a few words that can help contribute to getting a hint:

• Rose
• Drag
• Band
• Range
• Coat
• Bard
• Monk
• Tone
• Gang
• Rage
• Drab
• Sign
• Seat

Pro tip: If you've used a hint to outline a theme word and are unsure what it spells, you can press the hint button again to have the spelling shown to you.

We'll be showing the answers in the next section, so avoid it if you don't want to spoil the puzzle for yourself!

Today's Spangram for Strands

Today's Spangram is Zodiac Signs. You can find it forming a shape resembling a circle at the center of the puzzle.

Today's Theme Words for Strands

Today's theme words for Strands on February 17th are:

• Dragon
• Goat
• Horse
• Monkey
• Rabbit
• Snake
• Tiger
• Zodiac Signs

The next Strands puzzle, number 717, will be available at midnight local time.