Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Saturday, January 3, 2026
Saturday's Strands board has five theme words plus a 14-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "I've never seen that before!". The ladder below climbs from the theme to the spangram - take one hint at a time.
Hints, in order
Hint 0 of 3Tap to show one hint at a time.
Hint 1 of 3
The NYT clue is "I've never seen that before!" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 14 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The five theme words run 5 to 9 letters (lengths: 5, 5, 7, 8, 9). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with B and ends with D. It is BREAKNEWGROUND - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all five theme words.
SPANGRAM
BREAKNEWGROUND
FRESHTheme word
INVENTIVETheme word
NOVELTheme word
ORIGINALTheme word
SEMINALTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
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