Today's NYT Strands is live for Wednesday, August 5, 2026 (Puzzle #885). 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: "All things considered"
What It Really Means
You're hunting for vocabulary tied to what the mind forms, weighs, and develops before action.
Think About...
- Abstract ways of framing something.
- Private judgments and loosely held beliefs.
- Routes from a mental spark toward intended action.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 13 letters
Starting Zone: Row 2, letter 3
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): The central expression describes generating possibilities freely before choosing among them.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Picture a group rapidly tossing possibilities onto a whiteboard, saving evaluation for later.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is B, last letter is G
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BRAINSTORMING
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A general mental category that gathers related examples under one label.
Closer: In design or philosophy, this is the underlying abstraction behind a particular example.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 7 letters total
Answer
CONCEPT
Word 2
Vague: A flash in the mind that can grow into something larger.
Closer: A lightbulb above someone's head conventionally symbolizes this sudden mental arrival.
Letter Clue: Starts with I, 4 letters total
Answer
IDEA
Word 3
Vague: An informal belief or impression, often held without much evidence.
Closer: This informal belief is often described as fanciful, romantic, or mistaken.
Letter Clue: Starts with N, 6 letters total
Answer
NOTION
Word 4
Vague: A personal judgment that another person can reasonably dispute.
Closer: Editorial pages invite this personal view, while polls ask respondents to express theirs.
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 7 letters total
Answer
OPINION
Word 5
Vague: A proposed course of action prepared in advance.
Closer: An itinerary, blueprint, or schedule can serve as this guide for what comes next.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 4 letters total
Answer
PLAN
Word 6
Vague: Something that passes through the mind during reflection.
Closer: Careful reflection produces this mental product, and a considerate gesture can be described as showing it.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 7 letters total
Answer
THOUGHT
Full Answers
Spangram: BRAINSTORMING
Theme Words:
- CONCEPT
- IDEA
- NOTION
- OPINION
- PLAN
- THOUGHT
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, familiar vocabulary is offset by heavy overlap among the meanings.
Trickiest Word: NOTION is the likeliest stumbling block because its everyday meaning overlaps closely with IDEA, THOUGHT, and OPINION.
Our Take: BRAINSTORMING gives the set its energy, turning CONCEPT, IDEA, NOTION, OPINION, PLAN, and THOUGHT into stages or products of active consideration. The semantic overlap makes the theme immediately coherent but keeps individual discoveries pleasantly slippery.
