NYT Spelling Bee Answers for February 18, 2026
Game Summary
| Center Letter | N |
|---|---|
| Outer Letters | a, c, d, o, r, v |
| # of Pangrams | 1 (Perfect: none) |
| Total Words | 39 words |
| Total Points | 180 points |
| Genius Level | 126 points |
| Bingo? | No |
Table of Contents
As you scroll down this page, the clues get progressively more revealing. So scroll slowly!
- Spelling Bee Grid
- Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
- Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
- Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing) 🤯
- Today's Complete Solution
- Answer Definitions
If you're just here for a list of NYT Spelling Bee answers, Jump down to the answers ↓ (Spoiler Alert!).
Spelling Bee Grid
The following table shows the standard Spelling Bee summary grid, which lists word lengths across the top and letters down the left-hand side. The cell where the word lengths and letters intersect displays the number of words in today's puzzle with the corresponding first letter and word length.
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Σ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 1 | 5 |
| C | 1 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| D | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 |
| N | 6 | 1 | - | - | - | 7 |
| O | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| R | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 7 |
| V | - | - | - | - | - | - | Σ | 11 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 39 |
Two-Letter List (2LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding two letters.
| A | AC×1 AD×1 AN×2 AR×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CA×7 CO×10 CR×1 |
| D | DA×1 DO×1 |
| N | NA×5 NO×2 |
| O | |
| R | RA×5 RO×2 |
| V |
Three-Letter List (3LL) Hints
The following list shows the number of solution words that begin with the corresponding three letters.
| A | ACO×1 ADO×1 ANA×1 ANO×1 ARC×1 |
|---|---|
| C | CAN×6 CAR×1 COC×1 COD×1 CON×4 COR×4 CRO×1 |
| D | DAR×1 DON×1 |
| N | NAA×1 NAD×1 NAN×1 NAR×2 NOO×1 NOV×1 |
| O | |
| R | RAC×1 RAD×1 RAN×3 ROA×1 RON×1 |
| V |
Extra Letter Hints (Incrementally Revealing)
The table below lists all of the solutions to today's puzzle, but they're concealed. You can click the plus button (+) to reveal additional letters, one-by-one.
Concealed definitions are provided as additional clues. You can toggle concealment of the definitions by clicking on the concealer bar or the text that appears when the definition is visible.
Pangrams are marked with a dagger symbol (†).
| Word | 2L Ref | Definition (click to reveal) |
|---|---|---|
| co...... † | CO8 | No definition found; request failed |
| ac... | AC5 | The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule. |
| ad... | AD5 | To make more beautiful and attractive; to decorate. |
| an...... | AN8 | Any of various large nonvenomous snakes of the genus Eunectes, found mainly in northern South America. Their length can grow to as much as 5 m (15 ft). |
| an.. | AN4 | Straight away; at once. |
| ar.... | AR6 | Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France. |
| ca.... | CA6 | Whiteness; brilliance; purity. |
| ca... | CA5 | Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers. |
| ca.... | CA6 | A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages. |
| ca... | CA5 | A generally accepted principle; a rule. |
| ca..... | CA7 | A convoy or procession of travelers, their vehicles and cargo, and any pack animals, especially camels crossing a desert. |
| co.... | CO6 | The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa. |
| co... | CO5 | A handbell used for summoning monks. |
| co..... | CO7 | A state of agreement; harmony; union. |
| co... | CO5 | Clipping of condominium. |
| co.... | CO6 | Either of two New World vultures, Vultur gryphus of the Andes or Gymnogyps californianus, a nearly extinct vulture of the mountains of California. |
| co... | CO5 | No definition found; request failed |
| co.... | CO6 | A ribbon normally worn diagonally across the chest as a decoration or insignia of rank etc. |
| co.. | CO4 | Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof. |
| co.... | CO6 | A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church. |
| cr... | CR5 | To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner. |
| da.. | DA4 | Damn. |
| do... | DO5 | One who makes a donation. |
| na.. | NA4 | A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine. |
| na.. | NA4 | Nothing. |
| na.. | NA4 | A banana. |
| na.. | NA4 | A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control. |
| na... | NA5 | Narcotics. |
| no.. | NO4 | The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday. |
| no.. | NO4 | Any sudden brightening of a previously inconspicuous star. |
| ra..... | RA7 | A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor. |
| ra... | RA5 | The chemical element (symbol Rn, formerly Ro) with atomic number 86. It is an odorless, colorless, chemically inert but radioactive noble gas. |
| ra.... | RA6 | A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness. |
| ra.. | RA4 | The border of an area of land, especially marshland. |
| ra... | RA5 | Random; arbitrary. |
| ro.. | RO4 | Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in |
| ro... | RO5 | A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains. |
Today's Complete Solution
The words that follow are a complete listing of all acceptable words in today's New York Time Spelling Bee puzzle.
Next to the answer word you'll see the two-letter reference (2L Ref) in parentheses. We added that 2L Ref for easier translation of the spoiler-avoidant language you see on the Spelling Bee Forum and Twitter. The 2L Ref signifies a word's two start letters followed by the total number of letters in the word.
- cordovan† (CO8)
- acorn (AC5)
- adorn (AD5)
- anaconda (AN8)
- anon (AN4)
- arcana (AR6)
- canard (CA6)
- cancan (CA6)
- candor (CA6)
- canna (CA5)
- cannon (CA6)
- canon (CA5)
- caravan (CA7)
- cocoon (CO6)
- codon (CO5)
- concord (CO7)
- condo (CO5)
- condor (CO6)
- convo (CO5)
- cordon (CO6)
- corn (CO4)
- corona (CO6)
- croon (CR5)
- darn (DA4)
- donor (DO5)
- naan (NA4)
- nada (NA4)
- nana (NA4)
- narc (NA4)
- narco (NA5)
- noon (NO4)
- nova (NO4)
- raccoon (RA7)
- radon (RA5)
- rancor (RA6)
- rand (RA4)
- rando (RA5)
- roan (RO4)
- rondo (RO5)
Answer Definitions
- cordovan† (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- acorn (noun): The fruit of the oak, being an oval nut growing in a woody cup or cupule.
- adorn (verb): To make more beautiful and attractive; to decorate.
- anaconda (noun): Any of various large nonvenomous snakes of the genus Eunectes, found mainly in northern South America. Their length can grow to as much as 5 m (15 ft).
- anon (adverb): Straight away; at once.
- arcana (noun): Specialized knowledge that is mysterious to the uninitiated.
- canard (noun): A false or misleading report or story, especially if deliberately so.
- cancan (noun): A high-kicking chorus line dance originating in France.
- candor (noun): Whiteness; brilliance; purity.
- canna (noun): Any member of the genus Canna of tropical plants with large leaves and often showy flowers.
- cannon (noun): A complete assembly, consisting of an artillery tube and a breech mechanism, firing mechanism or base cap, which is a component of a gun, howitzer or mortar. It may include muzzle appendages.
- canon (noun): A generally accepted principle; a rule.
- caravan (noun): A convoy or procession of travelers, their vehicles and cargo, and any pack animals, especially camels crossing a desert.
- cocoon (noun): The silky protective case spun by the larvae of some insects in which they metamorphose, the pupa.
- codon (noun): A handbell used for summoning monks.
- concord (noun): A state of agreement; harmony; union.
- condo (noun): Clipping of condominium.
- condor (noun): Either of two New World vultures, Vultur gryphus of the Andes or Gymnogyps californianus, a nearly extinct vulture of the mountains of California.
- convo (n/a): No definition found; request failed
- cordon (noun): A ribbon normally worn diagonally across the chest as a decoration or insignia of rank etc.
- corn (noun): Any cereal plant grown for its grain, or the grain thereof.
- corona (noun): A large, round, pendent chandelier, with spikes around its upper rim to hold candles or lamps, usually hung from the roof of a church.
- croon (verb): To hum or sing softly or in a sentimental manner.
- darn (adjective): Damn.
- donor (noun): One who makes a donation.
- naan (noun): A type of round, flat bread baked in a tandoor popular in South and Central Asian cuisine.
- nada (pronoun): Nothing.
- nana (noun): A banana.
- narc (noun): A police officer assigned to or engaging in illegal narcotics control.
- narco (noun): Narcotics.
- noon (noun): The time of day when the sun is in its zenith; twelve o'clock in the day, midday.
- nova (noun): Any sudden brightening of a previously inconspicuous star.
- raccoon (noun): A nocturnal omnivore native to North America, typically with a mixture of gray, brown, and black fur, a mask-like marking around the eyes and a striped tail; Procyon lotor.
- radon (noun): The chemical element (symbol Rn, formerly Ro) with atomic number 86. It is an odorless, colorless, chemically inert but radioactive noble gas.
- rancor (noun): A feeling of long-lasting ire for another, sometimes to the point of hatred, over a perceived wrongdoing; bitterness.
- rand (noun): The border of an area of land, especially marshland.
- rando (adjective): Random; arbitrary.
- roan (adjective): Especially of a horse, having a coat of a dark base color with individual white hairs mixed in
- rondo (noun): A musical composition, commonly of a lively, cheerful character, in which the first strain recurs after each of the other strains.