Parting Shots – Wednesday, 18 February 2026 • By By Andrea Carla Michaels & Kevin Christian/Edited by Mike Shenk
Navigating the witty twists and turns of the Wall Street Journal Crossword is no small feat. Today’s puzzle, titled “Parting Shots – Wednesday, 18 February 2026”, brings a fresh set of challenges crafted by By Andrea Carla Michaels & Kevin Christian/Edited by Mike Shenk. If you find yourself stuck on a particular clue or trying to crack the theme without breaking your streak, you are in the right place.
At WordFinder Tips, we analyze the puzzle daily to bring you not just the answers, but the logic behind them. Below, you will find our Interactive Solver which allows you to check specific answers for ‘Across’ and ‘Down’ clues separately.
🧩 Theme Analysis: Parting Shots – Wednesday, 18 February 2026
In WSJ puzzles, the title is your compass. “Parting Shots – Wednesday, 18 February 2026” likely hints at a wordplay mechanic involving synonyms, added letters, or perhaps a visual pun hidden in the grid. Look closely at the longest Across answers—they usually hold the key to unlocking the puzzle’s core concept.
Interactive Solver
Use the tabs below to switch between Across and Down clues. The grid will update to focus on your selected direction.
Parting Shots – Wednesday, 18 February 2026
1C
2A
3R
4O
5B
6A
7R
8F
9S
10O
11S
12H
13A
14A
S
A
D
A
15T
E
R
I
16M
O
A
N
17L
A
T
E
R
18G
A
T
O
R
19A
L
I
T
20T
O
D
A
Y
21S
H
A
K
O
22A
23P
24P
25E
A
R
26G
O
27T
T
A
R
U
N
28G
O
O
D
B
Y
29E
30H
A
N
31A
L
L
Y
32N
33I
34G
E
R
35Q
36U
37O
38I
L
L
S
39E
40E
Y
O
U
A
R
41O
U
N
D
42N
O
S
43A
S
A
N
A
44N
I
T
E
45A
S
S
46C
47H
48E
E
R
I
O
49P
50E
51A
C
E
O
52U
53T
54A
R
L
E
E
N
55E
X
C
E
L
56D
A
57R
T
S
58D
I
E
T
59A
D
I
O
S
A
60M
61I
62G
63O
64I
S
L
E
65L
E
N
S
66T
O
N
E
D
67S
T
A
N
68A
R
T
Y
69Z
O
N
E
D
1Faux chocolate
CAROB
6Sounds from pounds
ARFS
10Employee welfare org.
OSHA
14Carne ___ (taco choice)
ASADA
15Garr with a “Tootsie” role
TERI
16Sound of pain or pleasure
MOAN
17Parting words from a herpetologist?
LATERGATOR
19Touched down
ALIT
20Right now
TODAY
21Military cap with a plume
SHAKO
22Show up
APPEAR
26Parting words from a marathoner?
GOTTARUN
28Parting word from a tennis champ?
GOODBYE
30Luke’s buddy
HAN
31Supporter of a cause
ALLY
32Niamey’s nation
NIGER
35Status chaser?
QUO
38Parting words from an optometrist?
ILLSEEYOUAROUND
42Discouraging words
NOS
43Warrior Pose, e.g.
ASANA
44Ad biz evening
NITE
45Buffoon
ASS
46Parting word from a cereal maker?
CHEERIO
49Parting words from an antiwar activist?
PEACEOUT
54Sorkin who voiced the animated Harley Quinn
ARLEEN
55Shine
EXCEL
56Game using a board numbered from 1 to 20
DARTS
58Many a New Year’s resolution
DIET
59Parting words from a Spanish teacher?
ADIOSAMIGO
64Key, say
ISLE
65Monocle, essentially
LENS
66Nicely muscular
TONED
67Superfan, in slang
STAN
68Attempting to seem highbrow
ARTY
69Like city real estate
ZONED
1Latin jazz great Tjader
CAL
2Thick-brick connector
ASA
3Backstabber
RAT
4Laudatory lines
ODE
5It’s used for tracking shots
BARTAB
6Slightly
ATAD
7Affix a new label to
RETAG
8Cold treat, familiarly
FROYO
9Knightly address
SIR
10Fred Astaire or Warren Buffett, e.g.
OMAHAN
11Power option
SOLAR
12“I adore crosswords/filling in the little squares/so satisfying,” e.g.
HAIKU
13Austrian composer Webern
ANTON
18Like some R-rated films
GORY
21Colleague of Harrison, Lennon and McCartney
STARR
22From the top
AGAIN
23Layer of huevos
POLLO
24Pre-election predictors
POLLS
25Ice cream brand
EDYS
27“___-Team” (Mr. T’s series)
THEA
29Ireland’s bestselling solo singer
ENYA
33Na+, e.g.
ION
34Avocado dip, informally
GUAC
35Twentieth of a ream of paper
QUIRE
36Pull some strings?
UNTIE
37Old-fashioned theater
ODEON
39Studio prop
EASEL
40“Happy Motoring!” brand
ESSO
41Scott Turow book
ONEL
45Blackjack winner
ACETEN
47Milliner’s wares
HATS
48Phony
ERSATZ
49Toe treatments, for short
PEDIS
50Aren’t imaginary
EXIST
51Amtrak express
ACELA
52Milk container, of a sort
UDDER
53Spoil
TAINT
57Full of promise
ROSY
59In the manner of
ALA
60Dairy sound
MOO
61Roadhouse
INN
62“Gosh!”
GEE
63Unusual
ODD
How to Play the WSJ Crossword
The Wall Street Journal crossword is widely considered one of the best in the country, right up there with the New York Times. It is edited by Mike Shenk, a legend in the puzzle community.
Weekly Difficulty Curve
Monday & Tuesday: Gentle and welcoming. Perfect for newer solvers. The themes are usually straightforward.
Wednesday & Thursday: The difficulty ramps up. You will see more wordplay and fewer direct definition clues.
Friday: The toughest daily puzzle. Expect tricky themes and obscure vocabulary.
Saturday (The Contest): This is unique to the WSJ. The puzzle includes a ‘meta-challenge’ where you must find a hidden answer (usually a single word or phrase) that is not in the grid but is derived from the answers.
Tips for Solving Faster
Fill the Blanks First: Scan the clues for Fill-in-the-blank style clues (e.g., ‘Salt and ___’). These are usually the easiest to get and provide anchor letters for the surrounding harder words.
Another key strategy is to check the 3 and 4-letter words. Words like ‘ERA’, ‘ORE’, ‘ARIA’, and ‘ETE’ appear frequently in crosswords (known as ‘crosswordese’) because of their helpful vowel structures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the WSJ Crossword free?
Yes, the Wall Street Journal offers its daily puzzle for free on its website, unlike many other major publications.
What time is the puzzle released?
The puzzle is usually available online at midnight ET.
Who is the editor?
The puzzle is edited by Mike Shenk, who has been steering the WSJ puzzle section since its inception.
