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Tuesday, February 10, 2026  ·  Your daily stash of puzzle hints. Answers stay hidden until you ask for them.
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Strands · Hints and answers

Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, February 10, 2026

NYT theme clue: "It's on the house" · Edited by Tracy Bennett

Tuesday's Strands board has six theme words plus a 14-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "It's on the house". The ladder below climbs from the theme to the spangram - take one hint at a time.

Hints, in order

Hint 0 of 3

Tap to show one hint at a time.

Hint 1 of 3

The NYT clue is "It's on the house" - 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 six theme words run 4 to 9 letters (lengths: 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 9). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.

Hint 3 of 3

The spangram starts with S and ends with L. It is SIDINGMATERIAL - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.

Spangram and theme words

The spangram first, then all six theme words.

SPANGRAM
SIDINGMATERIAL
BRICKTheme word
COMPOSITETheme word
STONETheme word
STUCCOTheme word
VINYLTheme word
WOODTheme word
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