Strands #976 hints
The official theme was "Getting the job done". 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
Are there words here for the folks who work at a company, or for the work they do together?
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How many words am I looking for?Gentle hint
There are 5 theme words plus the spangram.
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A nudge toward the spangramHelpful hint
This is the name of the office department that hires, trains, and looks after employees, and it runs across the whole board.
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How do the theme words start?Helpful hint
The theme words start with: L, P, P, S, W.
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How long is the spangram, and which way does it run?Strong hint
The spangram has 14 letters and runs from top to bottom.
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Play Strands #976
This is the exact grid from the NYT game. Drag through neighbouring letters (diagonals count) to form words. Stuck? The Hint button outlines one word for you.
Strands #976 in numbers
- Theme words
- 5
- Recent average
- 5.8
- Spangram length
- 14 letters
- Longest theme word
- 9 letters
- Rare letters on this board: K, W. Words with them are a good place to start, since few words can use them.
- The 6 answers use all 48 letters, an average of 8.0 letters each.
Strands #976 answers
Spoiler zone. Below are the spangram and all theme words for November 4, 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 (5 letters)
LABOR. It starts in row 5, column 1, counting from the top left.
Theme word 2 (5 letters)
STAFF. It starts in row 2, column 1, counting from the top left.
Theme word 3 (6 letters)
PEOPLE. It starts in row 5, column 4, counting from the top left.
Theme word 4 (9 letters)
PERSONNEL. It starts in row 2, column 5, counting from the top left.
Theme word 5 (9 letters)
WORKFORCE. It starts in row 8, column 4, counting from the top left.
The spangram (14 letters)
HUMANRESOURCES. It starts in row 1, column 1, counting from the top left.
Everything at once
Show every theme word and the solved board
Spangram: HUMANRESOURCES
Theme words: LABOR, PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, STAFF, WORKFORCE
The clue 'Getting the job done' points to the workers who make it happen, so the answers are all words for a group of employees: LABOR, PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, STAFF, and WORKFORCE. HUMANRESOURCES is the department that manages all of them.
Puzzle note
The clue sounded like a pep talk, but it was really a hint toward words for employees. A careful player would notice that every theme word names a group of workers, so once LABOR and STAFF turned up, the rest were easy to predict. The spangram, HUMANRESOURCES, was the department in charge.
On the board, the spangram HUMANRESOURCES stretches between the top and bottom edges and uses 2 corner letters.
Recent Strands puzzles
| Date | Puzzle | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Nov 3 | #975 | I've got a song in my heart |
| Nov 2 | #974 | High and mighty |
| Nov 1 | #973 | For the rest of the day |
| Oct 31 | #972 | It's in the bag |
| Oct 30 | #971 | All charged up |
| Oct 29 | #970 | Double, double toil and trouble |
| Oct 28 | #969 | Comedy club |
About Strands
NYT Strands is a themed word search: 48 letters, a short clue, and one spangram that runs edge to edge. Looking at past themes shows how often the clue is a pun, which is the key to solving quickly.
Other puzzles on Nov 4
Strands #976 questions
What was the Strands spangram on November 4, 2026?
The spangram for Strands #976 was HUMANRESOURCES, for the theme "Getting the job done".
What were the Strands theme words on November 4, 2026?
LABOR, PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, STAFF, WORKFORCE, plus the spangram HUMANRESOURCES.
What did the Strands #976 clue mean?
The clue 'Getting the job done' points to the workers who make it happen, so the answers are all words for a group of employees: LABOR, PEOPLE, PERSONNEL, STAFF, and WORKFORCE. HUMANRESOURCES is the department that manages all of them.
How long was the Strands #976 spangram?
HUMANRESOURCES has 14 letters, and the 5 theme words started with L, P, P, S, W.