Puzzle Overview
Here is your NYT Strands hint for today, plus the spangram and all of today’s Strands answers for puzzle No. 961 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026.
Today’s Strands theme involves a game that goes by a different name in some regions than it does everywhere else. Read on for all the answers.
Hint for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s Strands theme is shown in the puzzle layout.
A helpful hint for the puzzle: You played it in kindergarten.
Clue Words
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. These are the words used to get those hints, but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:
• DAYS, HOLD, HOLDS, HEIR, FUSS, MALTS, MUSS, MUSE
Solutions
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:
• WALK, GAME, CHASE, CIRCLE, SELECT, PLAYGROUND
Spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is DUCKDUCKGOOSE. To find it, start with the D that’s two letters over on the top row, and two letters down, and wind around.
