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Special Difficulty: 7/10

NYT Strands Answer Yesterday — Saturday, September 26, 2026

Puzzle #1126 • Difficulty 7/10

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Yesterday's NYT Strands Answer

Yesterday's Strands Answers

Today's Theme

"A breath of fresh air"

D
Z
E
F
F
T
N
I
E
I
H
S
Z
C
W
E
W
U
E
U
E
F
R
G
P
R
R
L
F
B
H
E
Y
T
N
U
Y
N
R
L
E
P
R
T
R
U
F
G

Deep Dive

Theme Analysis

Theme clue: "A breath of fresh air"

Theme words: 7 words to find

Total answer letters: 48 (18 unique)

Spangram Breakdown

Word: GENTLEWIND

Length: 10 letters

Unique letters: 8 of 10

Word Statistics

Longest word: CURRENT (7 letters)

Shortest word: GUST (4 letters)

Average length: 5.4 letters

Top Letters

E
7
R
6
F
5
U
4
N
3

Puzzle Analysis

The NYT Strands puzzle offered a satisfying challenge. The key insight involved recognizing the subtle grouping of words related to a specific musical concept. This connection wasn't immediately obvious. Many solvers likely struggled with extraneous words that seemed plausible but led to dead ends. The sheer number of related terms, alongside distractors, contributed to the difficulty. A 7/10 difficulty rating feels accurate. It demanded careful pattern recognition and a willingness to explore multiple interpretations before the core theme revealed itself. The puzzle rewarded persistence.

How to Play NYT Strands

NYT Strands presents a 6×8 grid of scrambled letters. Your goal is to find all the themed words hidden in the grid, plus a special word called the spangram.

Words are formed by connecting adjacent letters in any direction: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Letters must be connected in sequence, and each letter can only be used once per word.

The spangram is a special word that touches two opposite sides of the board and reveals the puzzle’s theme. Finding it first can help you identify the remaining words.

Use the theme clue at the top of the puzzle to figure out what all the words have in common. A new Strands puzzle is available daily.

Play at nytimes.com/games/strands. A new puzzle is available every day.

Tips & Strategy

  • Read the theme clue first. It tells you the category connecting all the hidden words. Think broadly about what words could fit.
  • Look for the spangram early. It’s usually the longest word and spans from one side of the board to the other, which helps you map out the remaining words.
  • Theme words do not overlap. Each letter in the grid belongs to one answer. Once you find some words, the remaining letters narrow down what is left.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NYT Strands repeat past answers?
NYT Strands aims to provide a fresh challenge every day without repeating recent answers.
Where can I find all past NYT Strands answers?
This page is the complete archive of past NYT Strands answers, updated daily after each new puzzle.
How is difficulty rated?
Difficulty is rated on a 1-10 scale based on answer complexity and how many hints players typically need.

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