Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Sunday, September 13, 2026
Sunday's Strands board has six theme words plus a 10-letter spangram, under the NYT clue "Top secret". 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 "Top secret" - take it literally before you take it sideways. The spangram runs 10 letters and touches opposite sides of the board.
Hint 2 of 3
The six theme words run 4 to 10 letters (lengths: 4, 5, 5, 5, 9, 10). Every one of them belongs to the family the clue points at.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram starts with U and ends with R. It is UNDERCOVER - find it and the rest of the board falls into place.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all six theme words.
SPANGRAM
UNDERCOVER
AGENTTheme word
ASSETTheme word
COUNTERSPYTheme word
MOLETheme word
OPERATIVETheme word
PLANTTheme word
Next on the board
NYT Mini Crossword →
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