Today's NYT Strands is live for Wednesday, September 2, 2026 (Puzzle #913). 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 will be revealed"
What It Really Means
You are hunting for verbs that describe something becoming visible, evident, or known.
Think About...
- Think about something entering view.
- Consider secrets becoming known.
- Picture an idea taking concrete form.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to bottom down the board
Letter Count: 11 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 4
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): This expression describes the moment something hidden becomes known.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Think of an idiom for a secret or overlooked fact finally being revealed.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is C, last letter is T
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COMETOLIGHT
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: To get up or begin from a lower position.
Closer: What the sun does at dawn, or what a new problem can do.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 5 letters total
Answer
ARISE
Word 2
Vague: To move out of concealment and into view.
Closer: What a swimmer does when leaving the water and entering view.
Letter Clue: Starts with E, 6 letters total
Answer
EMERGE
Word 3
Vague: To become plainly evident through signs or actions.
Closer: A symptom can do this when it becomes observable.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 8 letters total
Answer
MANIFEST
Word 4
Vague: To appear unexpectedly in a tangible or definite form.
Closer: Use this when something seemingly appears from nowhere and takes physical form.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 11 letters total
Answer
MATERIALIZE
Word 5
Vague: To rise from beneath and reach the open air or public notice.
Closer: A submarine does this when it reaches the top of the water.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 7 letters total
Answer
SURFACE
Full Answers
Spangram: COMETOLIGHT
Theme Words:
- ARISE
- EMERGE
- MANIFEST
- MATERIALIZE
- SURFACE
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with five closely related verbs that demand careful distinction.
Trickiest Word: MATERIALIZE is the trickiest word because its length and dramatic sense of appearing from nowhere make it less immediate than the shorter verbs.
Our Take: The spangram COME TO LIGHT gives the theme a crisp idiomatic center, while ARISE, EMERGE, MANIFEST, MATERIALIZE, and SURFACE explore different ways of entering view or becoming evident. The progression from compact everyday verbs to the long MATERIALIZE gives the grid a satisfying change of texture.
