NYT Strands Hints and Answers for February 12, 2026 (#711)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of February 12, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of February 12, 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 February 12, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Sink or swim
Start from the clue “Sink or swim”. Once you see what the 5 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are C, D, I, P, R.
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 5, 7, 8, 8 and 10 letters long. The shortest is 5 letters, the longest 10.
SpangramThe spangram
HIGHSTAKES
It is a single word of 10 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with H, ends with S.
AnswersAll theme words
- RISKY5 letters
- PIVOTAL7 letters
- CRITICAL8 letters
- DECISIVE8 letters
- IMPERATIVE10 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.