NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 18, 2026 (#686)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of January 18, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of January 18, 2026? Start with the theme, take one rung at a time, and stop as soon as the grid opens up. Nothing below is revealed until you tap it.
Hints for January 18, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Soft skills
Start from the clue “Soft skills”. Once you see what the 6 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are A, C, E, K, Q, W.
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 5, 5, 7, 8 and 9 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 9.
SpangramThe spangram
TEXTILEART
It is a single word of 10 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with T, ends with T.
AnswersAll theme words
- KNIT4 letters
- QUILT5 letters
- WEAVE5 letters
- CROCHET7 letters
- APPLIQUE8 letters
- EMBROIDER9 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.