Today's NYT Strands is live for Tuesday, August 4, 2026 (Puzzle #884). Stuck on today's Strands? We've got progressive hints, from gentle nudges to full solutions, so you can solve at your own pace.
How Strands Works (New Players Start Here)
Strands hides themed words inside a 6x8 letter grid. Your mission: find every word connected to the day's theme. Letters link in any direction (horizontal, vertical, diagonal) and words can twist and turn. Every letter gets used exactly once.
The spangram is the key word or phrase that captures the theme and stretches across the entire board, touching opposite edges.
Need a boost? Find any 4+ letter word (even non-theme words) three times, and the game reveals a hint highlighting theme word letters.
Theme Decoder
Today's Theme Prompt: "Staying healthy"
What It Really Means
You are hunting for things and actions associated with receiving health care and obtaining treatments.
Think About...
- A conversation with a health professional.
- A place where customers receive health-related help.
- Preventive care and prescribed treatments.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to bottom down the board
Letter Count: 8 letters
Starting Zone: Row 1, letter 3
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of an everyday destination connected with prescriptions and personal health.
Hint 2 (Warmer): It is the place where prescriptions are prepared and health products are sold.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is P, last letter is Y
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PHARMACY
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A professional exchange undertaken to get guidance.
Closer: You do this with a clinician when you need professional guidance about a health concern.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 7 letters total
Answer
CONSULT
Word 2
Vague: A flat point of service between a customer and an employee.
Closer: This surface separates customers from the staff serving them.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 7 letters total
Answer
COUNTER
Word 3
Vague: A preventive procedure that strengthens protection against disease.
Closer: A vaccine appointment provides this form of protection against a particular disease.
Letter Clue: Starts with I, 12 letters total
Answer
IMMUNIZATION
Word 4
Vague: A substance used to treat or manage illness.
Closer: A clinician may prescribe this in a particular dose to treat a condition.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 8 letters total
Answer
MEDICINE
Word 5
Vague: Getting another supply after the first one runs low.
Closer: You request this when a prescribed supply is nearly gone and another quantity is authorized.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 6 letters total
Answer
REFILL
Full Answers
Spangram: PHARMACY
Theme Words:
- CONSULT
- COUNTER
- IMMUNIZATION
- MEDICINE
- REFILL
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, because the broad health prompt leaves several possible directions before PHARMACY brings the list into focus.
Trickiest Word: COUNTER is the likeliest stumbling block because its health-related sense competes with familiar meanings involving numbers, opposition, and kitchen surfaces.
Our Take: PHARMACY neatly unites CONSULT, COUNTER, IMMUNIZATION, MEDICINE, and REFILL as parts of one familiar health-care experience. The mix of objects, services, and actions keeps the search lively, while the spangram supplies the decisive connection.
