Today's Strands Puzzle
Here’s your NYT Strands hint for today, plus the spangram and all of today’s Strands answers for puzzle No. 974 on Monday, Nov. 2, 2026.
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is “High and mighty.”
And here’s a hint: Think Everest.
Clue words to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words.
• MULE, TOFF, SMILE, MILE, MULE, TIME, RANT, RANK
Answers for today’s Strands puzzle
These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them, every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:
• PEAK, SNOW, CLIFF, RIDGE, GLACIER, SADDLE, SUMMIT
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is MOUNTAINTOP. To find it, look for the M that’s the last letter on the first vertical column, and wind up, like you’re climbing a mountain.
Let’s talk about today’s Strands puzzle
I’m not a climber, even though I live in Seattle between two large mountain ranges. Still, mountain climbing-related words don’t just zip into my brain, so today’s puzzle took me a bit of time. I didn’t even know “saddle” had anything to do with climbing. It turns out to be a ridge between two higher elevations, named for the way it dips like a horse’s saddle.
