Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Saturday, January 31, 2026
Saturday's Strands board has seven theme words plus a 9-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "It's part of the game". 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 "It's part of the game" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 9 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The seven theme words run 4 to 7 letters (lengths: 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with H and ends with L. It is HAVEABALL - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all seven theme words.
SPANGRAM
HAVEABALL
BASETheme word
BASKETTheme word
FOOTTheme word
PADDLETheme word
PICKLETheme word
RACQUETTheme word
VOLLEYTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
A 8x7 grid. Show one answer at a time, or open the full grid.