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Today’s Wordle starts with ‘M’ and ends with ‘L’. It has two vowels.
The word refers to a very powerful or important person in the business or movie world.
The NYT Wordle answer for February 18, 2026, is MOGUL, a word that carries weight and authority.
NYT Wordle today, for February 18 (Wednesday), would test even the veteran players’ authority. While the rest of the world is busy hunting for 'E's and 'A's, this puzzle is chilling with the heavy hitters. If you have ever talked about a "business giant" or a "media king," you are already thinking of today's solution. Let’s take you through some hints and an expert strategy to win Wordle today!
Bonus: Go to the bottom of the article to find some fun facts about the solution.
Think you can handle the power? Test your skills with these clues before we spill the beans:
This word is also used in skiing to describe a bump on a slope.
It has no repeating letters.
This word rhymes with almost nothing. It has a blunt, heavy sound that feels as solid as a billionaire's bank account.
Here is the tactical play-by-play curated for you to conquer today's grid in just three moves:
First Guess: RAISE- We start with the gold standard for vowel hunting. Surprisingly, the board stays completely gray. While a 0-for-5 start feels rough, it actually does us a huge favor by ruling out ‘A’, ‘I’, and ‘E’ immediately.
Second Guess: TROLL- Since we need new vowels and common consonants, this guess checks 'O'. It pays off by turning the 'O' yellow and ‘L’ green. Now we know there is an 'O' somewhere in the middle.
Third Guess: MOULD- This guess tests the 'U' and looks for a home for our 'O' and 'L'. Success! We lock in a green 'M' at the start, and the 'O' finds place in the second box. 'U', and 'L' light up yellow. We have the frame; we just need the core.
Mistakes to Avoid: Don't let the gray start rattle you. When ‘A’, ‘I’, and ‘E’ fail, move straight to 'O' and 'U' combos. Also, avoid the urge to put an 'H' in there. Don’t waste your guess on words like MOLDS, BOWL, etc. By now, you have found four letters of the five-letter puzzle. The word structure looks like M O_ _L.
The answer to Wordle #1705 is MOGUL.
The word MOGUL has a very long and interesting history:
Royal Roots: The word actually comes from Mongolian ‘mongγol’ according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The word originally traces back to Bābur, a 16th-century ruler and descendant of Genghis Khan. He founded the Muslim dynasty that governed most of India for over 200 years. These leaders were so famously wealthy and influential that they were called ‘Great Moguls.’ Eventually, English speakers began using the title to describe anyone with massive authority in business or media, giving us the modern ‘industry mogul.’
On the Slopes: If you like skiing, you know a mogul is a bump of hard snow on a trail, according to Dictionary.com. The word for this actually comes from a different source, a Dutch word ‘mugel,’ which means a little mound.
The Railway Link: In railway terms, a Mogul is a steam locomotive that has the wheel arrangement 2-6-0, as noted by TRAINSHOP.CO.UK. This means that a Mogul will have two leading wheels at the front (one on either side of the locomotive), six powered wheels in the middle (three on either side), and no trailing wheels.
Also Read: NYT Wordle Answer Today for February 17, 2026: Hints and Expert Walkthrough Revealed
Today’s puzzle was a fun test of how you handle vowels. While many players start with words like ‘ADIEU’ to find vowels early, today showed that even a ‘bad’ first guess like ‘RAISE’ can help you win by narrowing down quickly. Mogul is a great word because it’s common enough to know but rare enough to make you think twice about your letter placement.
Come back tomorrow for more hints and another walkthrough to keep your win streak going!
Also Read: Today’s Quordle Hints and Answers for Feb 18, 2026
