Today's NYT Strands is live for Monday, August 10, 2026 (Puzzle #890). 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: "Back it up"
What It Really Means
The hunt is for forms of concrete support that can strengthen or substantiate a claim.
Think About...
- Recorded observations gathered for analysis.
- Checkable truths and precise supporting details.
- Numerical values and the discipline used to interpret them.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to bottom down the board
Letter Count: 13 letters
Starting Zone: Row 1, letter 3
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of something strong enough to settle a claim.
Hint 2 (Warmer): The target is a familiar phrase for conclusive supporting evidence that leaves little room for dispute.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is P, last letter is E
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PROOFPOSITIVE
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Raw observations ready to be organized.
Closer: Measurements or records collected for later analysis.
Letter Clue: Starts with D, 4 letters total
Answer
DATA
Word 2
Vague: Claims that withstand checking.
Closer: Established truths that can support an argument.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 5 letters total
Answer
FACTS
Word 3
Vague: Values that quantify a subject.
Closer: The numerical entries you might cite from a table or report.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 7 letters total
Answer
FIGURES
Word 4
Vague: The precise parts that sharpen a broad account.
Closer: Names, quantities, and exact particulars rather than a general summary.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 9 letters total
Answer
SPECIFICS
Word 5
Vague: A discipline devoted to learning from numerical collections.
Closer: The branch of mathematics that summarizes samples and draws conclusions from them.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 10 letters total
Answer
STATISTICS
Full Answers
Spangram: PROOFPOSITIVE
Theme Words:
- DATA
- FACTS
- FIGURES
- SPECIFICS
- STATISTICS
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with a tightly related list but several words that carry unrelated everyday meanings.
Trickiest Word: FIGURES is the trickiest word because it can suggest shapes, people, or acts of calculation before its numerical sense clicks.
Our Take: PROOFPOSITIVE gives the prompt a satisfying finish, while DATA, FACTS, FIGURES, SPECIFICS, and STATISTICS supply distinct forms of support. The compact early entries create footholds, and the longer technical terms make the full theme feel progressively more precise.
