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Thursday, March 12, 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 Thursday, March 12, 2026

NYT theme clue: "Out-and-out" · Edited by Tracy Bennett

Thursday's Strands board has five theme words plus a 13-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "Out-and-out". 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 "Out-and-out" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 13 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.

Hint 2 of 3

The five theme words run 5 to 9 letters (lengths: 5, 5, 8, 8, 9). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.

Hint 3 of 3

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

Spangram and theme words

The spangram first, then all five theme words.

SPANGRAM
DYEDINTHEWOOL
COMPLETETheme word
THOROUGHTheme word
TOTALTheme word
UTTERTheme word
VERITABLETheme word
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