Play Strands #966
The same letter grid NYT shows. Drag across touching letters, or tap them one by one and tap the last letter again to check. Theme words turn blue and the spangram turns yellow. Hint outlines one word you haven't found. Nothing is saved, so your real game stays untouched.
Strands #966 hints
Today's official theme is "Something to build on". If that alone doesn't help, work down the hints below.
Hints used: 0
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What's the theme in plain words?Gentle hint
Look for words that describe the basic supporting parts that hold up a building or an idea before anything else is added.
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How many words am I looking for?Gentle hint
There are 4 theme words plus the spangram.
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A nudge toward the spangramHelpful hint
Think of what sits at the very bottom of a house, the base that everything else rests on, and remember the answer is plural and stretches across the board.
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How do the theme words start?Helpful hint
The theme words start with: F, S, S, S.
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How long is the spangram, and which way does it run?Strong hint
The spangram has 11 letters and runs from right to left.
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Strands #966 in numbers
- Theme words
- 4
- Recent average
- 5.7
- Spangram length
- 11 letters
- Longest theme word
- 11 letters
Strands #966 answers
Spoiler zone. Below are the spangram and all theme words for October 25, 2026.
Reveal one word at a time
Only want a foothold? Open one word, find it on the board, then go back and try for the rest. Shorter words come first because they give away the least.
Theme word 1 (8 letters)
SKELETON. It starts in row 1, column 1, counting from the top left.
Theme word 2 (9 letters)
FRAMEWORK. It starts in row 2, column 6, counting from the top left.
Theme word 3 (9 letters)
STRUCTURE. It starts in row 7, column 5, counting from the top left.
Theme word 4 (11 letters)
SCAFFOLDING. It starts in row 4, column 1, counting from the top left.
The spangram (11 letters)
FOUNDATIONS. It starts in row 8, column 5, counting from the top left.
Everything at once
Show every theme word and the solved board
Spangram: FOUNDATIONS
Theme words: FRAMEWORK, SCAFFOLDING, SKELETON, STRUCTURE
Something to build on is the starting support for a project, and each answer names a kind of underlying form: FRAMEWORK, SCAFFOLDING, SKELETON and STRUCTURE. The spangram FOUNDATIONS ties them together as the base that all of these ideas rest on.
Recent Strands puzzles
| Date | Puzzle | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 24 | #965 | Re-fresh-ing |
| Oct 23 | #964 | None of your beeswax! |
| Oct 22 | #963 | Any relation? |
| Oct 21 | #962 | On a higher level |
| Oct 20 | #961 | 🦆🦆 ... 🪿 |
| Oct 19 | #960 | It's all Greek to me |
| Oct 18 | #959 | Fast fashion |
About Strands
Strands is a daily New York Times word search with a theme. Every letter on the six-by-eight board belongs to an answer, and one answer, the spangram, names the theme and stretches between opposite sides of the board. Past puzzles are a good way to learn how the themed clues are usually worded.
Other puzzles on Oct 25
Strands #966 questions
What was the Strands spangram on October 25, 2026?
The spangram for Strands #966 was FOUNDATIONS, for the theme "Something to build on".
What were the Strands theme words on October 25, 2026?
FRAMEWORK, SCAFFOLDING, SKELETON, STRUCTURE, plus the spangram FOUNDATIONS.
What did the Strands #966 clue mean?
Something to build on is the starting support for a project, and each answer names a kind of underlying form: FRAMEWORK, SCAFFOLDING, SKELETON and STRUCTURE. The spangram FOUNDATIONS ties them together as the base that all of these ideas rest on.