Today's NYT Strands is live for Saturday, September 5, 2026 (Puzzle #916). 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: "Informally known as"
What It Really Means
You are hunting for casual, shortened names used for animals instead of their full names.
Think About...
- Household pets with compact nicknames.
- Large mammals reduced to casual shorthand.
- Reptiles and other wild creatures with conversational labels.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 7 letters
Starting Zone: Row 4, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of a casual umbrella word for an animal.
Hint 2 (Warmer): It is a folksy singular noun that could describe anything from a pet to a wild beast.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is C, last letter is R
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CRITTER
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A small, chatty pet bird.
Closer: This colorful Australian parakeet is a familiar cage bird and gifted mimic.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 6 letters total
Answer
BUDGIE
Word 2
Vague: An intelligent great ape known for complex social behavior.
Closer: This African ape belongs to the genus Pan and is closely related to the bonobo.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 5 letters total
Answer
CHIMP
Word 3
Vague: An armored reptile that lurks at the water's edge.
Closer: This clipped name points to the long-snouted semiaquatic reptile often contrasted with a Florida swamp dweller.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 4 letters total
Answer
CROC
Word 4
Vague: A swamp-dwelling reptile with a powerful jaw.
Closer: This casual name belongs to the broad-snouted reptile closely associated with Florida.
Letter Clue: Starts with G, 5 letters total
Answer
GATOR
Word 5
Vague: A massive plant-eating mammal that spends much of its day in water.
Closer: This barrel-bodied African grazer rests in rivers and emerges to feed on land.
Letter Clue: Starts with H, 5 letters total
Answer
HIPPO
Word 6
Vague: A tiny companion dog with a grand bearing.
Closer: This compact nickname refers to the flat-faced toy breed associated with China's imperial court.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 4 letters total
Answer
PEKE
Word 7
Vague: A snake equipped with its own warning system.
Closer: This pit viper announces danger by vibrating the segmented tip of its tail.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 7 letters total
Answer
RATTLER
Word 8
Vague: A heavy land mammal with formidable facial armor.
Closer: This thick-skinned browser has one or two horns on its snout.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 5 letters total
Answer
RHINO
Full Answers
Spangram: CRITTER
Theme Words:
- BUDGIE
- CHIMP
- CROC
- GATOR
- HIPPO
- PEKE
- RATTLER
- RHINO
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, the animal link is accessible, but PEKE and RATTLER make the informal-name pattern less immediate.
Trickiest Word: PEKE is the trickiest entry because it asks for a clipped breed nickname rather than the full Pekingese name.
Our Take: CRITTER works cleanly as the spangram because every theme entry is an informal animal label. BUDGIE, CHIMP, CROC, GATOR, HIPPO, PEKE, RATTLER, and RHINO create a satisfying spread of pets and wild animals, with the shortened forms making the prompt click in retrospect.
