Home/Archive/Feb 18, 2026

NYT Crossword — February 18, 2026

Wednesday’s 16 × 15 puzzle, 77 clues. The full solution is below — answers stay masked until you reveal them, one clue or all at once.

0 of 77 revealed

1R

2A

3N

4D

5B

6A

7R

8A

9M

10P

11A

12C

13T

14S

15A

M

O

R

E

16L

O

C

O

17A

G

O

R

A

18P

E

T

E

R

19E

D

O

U

T

20S

A

M

U

S

21S

I

G

N

S

O

F

T

H

22E

T

I

M

E

S

23S

A

P

24S

E

R

R

A

N

O

25G

26A

27H

28R

I

29O

30A

A

S

31D

32A

33M

34A

B

U

35N

D

A

N

36C

37E

38P

O

L

E

39S

Y

M

B

O

L

I

C

G

40E

41S

42T

U

R

E

S

43U

S

D

A

44S

O

R

C

E

R

E

R

S

45P

S

I

46H

47U

48T

49E

R

R

50S

T

Y

51N

52O

I

S

O

53M

54E

55A

R

56K

57F

58I

G

U

R

E

S

O

F

59S

P

E

E

60C

61H

62I

R

E

N

E

63S

C

R

E

E

N

S

H

O

64T

65C

I

R

C

E

66E

H

O

W

67C

H

A

S

E

68A

S

S

E

S

69D

I

N

S

70E

A

T

E

N

Across

35 clues

1Genre for James Brown or Al Green, informally

6Biblical name for Syria

10International agreements

15"That's ___" (Dean Martin classic)

17Ancient Greek marketplace

18Dwindled away

20___ Aran, heroine of Nintendo's Metroid

24Pepper that's two steps above poblano on the Scoville scale

25Irritated outburst

28Carnaval city, informally

30Smallish batteries

31Reservoir producer

38Favorable starting point of an auto race

43The Farm Service Agcy. is part of it

44Some wand wielders

45Trident-shaped letter

49Write "their" for "there," say

50Slopping spot

51Offensively odorous

55Noted wildlife refuge

57💬🗣️🗯️

62Cara of "Fame" fame

63Digital capture

65Enchantress of Greek mythology

66Popular D.I.Y. website

70Reduced to crumbs, say

Down

42 clues

1What a fall guy has to take, with "the"

2Home of the Big 12's Cyclones

5Leader of the Sharks in "West Side Story"

6Gucci of fashion

7Locales for some urban gardens

8Like the accents in "déclassé"

10Elbows and bow ties

12Best-selling home computers of the 1980s

22It might be a stretch for historians

25Fill an automobile tank … or boost the confidence of, in slang

29Demon of Japanese folklore

33Like some buns and bedrooms

35Org. for Wizards and Magic

36Includes, in a way

37One of the "six enemies of the mind," in Hinduism

38Big name in water filters

40Old-fashioned word that's a homophone of 49-Across

41Distressing encounter

42___ Howard, Oscar-nominated actor for 2005's "Hustle & Flow"

46New workmates

52Meager measure of compassion?

53Traditional rice cake snack on Japanese New Year

54Actor Zac of "High School Musical"

56Singer with the 2009 #1 hit "Tik Tok"

57Acronym on a W-2

58Bluish-purple bloom

60Tête-à-tête

61Firefighting aid

64X

Click a clue for its own page with the answer and a short explanation.

Stats & info

Wednesday, Feb 18, 2026

16×15

Grid size

77

Total entries

38/202

Black / letter cells

5.2

Avg entry length

16 ltrs

Longest entry

Medium

Wednesday difficulty

PuzzleThe Crossword

PublishedFeb 18, 2026

DayWednesday

ThemeUntitled

ConstructorVictor Schmitt

EditorWill Shortz

Clue split35 across · 42 down

Longest entries

39A🤙👏👋16 ltrs 21A🕘⏳⏰15 ltrs 57A💬🗣️🗯️15 ltrs 18ADwindled away10 ltrs 63ADigital capture10 ltrs

Wednesday is the midweek pivot, where themes get denser and clues start bending the surface reading. This grid has 38 black squares and averages 5.2 letters per entry.