#704Thursday, February 5, 2026
Strands answers for February 5, 2026 — “Quint-essential” (#704)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for February 5, 2026 (puzzle #704) is GIVEMEFIVE, a 10-letter answer to the theme "Quint-essential". The 6 theme words are BOROUGHS, OCEANS, SENSES, TOES, VOWELS and WEEKDAYS.
Where is each answer on the February 5 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on February 5, 2026 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOROUGHS | 8 | row 7, column 6 | row 4, column 6 | bottom to top |
| OCEANS | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SENSES | 6 | row 1, column 6 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOES | 4 | row 7, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| VOWELS | 6 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| WEEKDAYS | 8 | row 1, column 2 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GIVEMEFIVE | 10 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the February 5 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for February 5, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 10 letters6 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads S-W-G-E-S-S, row 2 reads Y-E-I-S-N-E, row 3 reads A-E-V-U-G-H, row 4 reads D-K-E-E-O-S, row 5 reads W-O-V-M-F-R, row 6 reads O-E-L-S-I-O, row 7 reads E-T-O-A-V-B, and row 8 reads S-C-E-N-S-E.
How hard was the February 5 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the February 5, 2026 puzzle lands in the average range — above 35% of all Strands puzzles.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the February 5 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #704 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the February 5 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on February 5, 2026?
The Strands clue for February 5, 2026 is “Quint-essential”, on puzzle #704. It is answered by the spangram GIVEMEFIVE, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on February 5, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for February 5, 2026 are BOROUGHS, OCEANS, SENSES, TOES, VOWELS and WEEKDAYS, plus the spangram GIVEMEFIVE.
What was the big word in the February 5, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for February 5, 2026 is GIVEMEFIVE, 10 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Quint-essential” mean?
The Strands theme “Quint-essential” for February 5, 2026 means GIVEMEFIVE — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands February 5, 2026?
Strands puzzle #704 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the February 5, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #704 rates average on a computed index, harder than 35% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on February 5, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, February 5, 2026 is #704, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in February 2026, part of the full Strands archive.