Strands · Hints and answers
Strands hints and answers for Saturday, October 3, 2026
Saturday's Strands board is not really there: five theme words for things that seem real but are not, plus a 12-letter spangram named for the ghostly light that lures travellers off the path. The NYT clue calls it a figment.
Hints, in order
Hint 0 of 3Tap to show one hint at a time.
Hint 1 of 3
Think of things you can seem to see that are not actually there: tricks of light, heat and imagination.
Hint 2 of 3
Every theme word is an unreal sight or idea: a fire-breathing monster that became a word for a fantasy, a trick of the eye, water that is not in the desert, and two words for a ghost.
Hint 3 of 3
The spangram is four words pushed together, 12 letters: WILL O THE WISP, the floating light said to lure people astray, and itself a classic figment.
Spangram and theme words
The spangram first, then all five theme words.
SPANGRAM
WILLOTHEWISP
CHIMERATheme word
ILLUSIONTheme word
MIRAGETheme word
PHANTASMTheme word
SPECTERTheme word
Next on the board
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