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Friday, June 19, 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 Friday, June 19, 2026

NYT theme clue: "Look to the West" · Edited by Tracy Bennett

Friday's Strands board has seven theme words plus a 8-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "Look to the West". 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 "Look to the West" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 8 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.

Hint 2 of 3

The seven theme words run 5 to 7 letters (lengths: 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 7, 7). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.

Hint 3 of 3

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

Spangram and theme words

The spangram first, then all seven theme words.

SPANGRAM
COWPOKES
BANDANATheme word
BOOTSTheme word
CHAPSTheme word
JEANSTheme word
SADDLETheme word
SPURSTheme word
STETSONTheme word
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