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Tuesday, March 31, 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, March 31, 2026

NYT theme clue: "While you were sleeping ..." · Edited by Tracy Bennett

Tuesday's Strands board has seven theme words plus a 13-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "While you were sleeping ...". 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 "While you were sleeping ..." - 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 seven theme words run 4 to 8 letters (lengths: 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 8). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.

Hint 3 of 3

The spangram starts with T and ends with Y. It is THETOOTHFAIRY - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.

Spangram and theme words

The spangram first, then all seven theme words.

SPANGRAM
THETOOTHFAIRY
COINTheme word
EXCHANGETheme word
NOTETheme word
PILLOWTheme word
TUTUTheme word
WANDTheme word
WINGSTheme word
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