Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Saturday, January 17, 2026
Saturday's Strands board has five theme words plus a 11-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "That's putting it mildly!". 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 "That's putting it mildly!" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 11 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The five theme words run 4 to 12 letters (lengths: 4, 6, 6, 9, 12). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with F and ends with N. It is FOILEDAGAIN - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all five theme words.
SPANGRAM
FOILEDAGAIN
CURSESTheme word
DRATTheme word
FIDDLESTICKSTheme word
PHOOEYTheme word
TARNATIONTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
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