Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Thursday, September 3, 2026
Thursday's Strands board has eight theme words plus a 8-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "Hike!". 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 "Hike!" - 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 eight theme words run 4 to 7 letters (lengths: 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 7, 7). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with F and ends with L. It is FOOTBALL - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all eight theme words.
SPANGRAM
FOOTBALL
DOWNTheme word
KICKTheme word
PASSTheme word
PLAYTheme word
RUSHTheme word
STADIUMTheme word
TACKLETheme word
UPRIGHTTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
A 5x5 grid. Show one answer at a time, or open the full grid.