Today's NYT Strands is live for Sunday, September 6, 2026 (Puzzle #917). 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: "I've seen better"
What It Really Means
You are hunting for words that describe something as merely passable or distinctly unimpressive.
Think About...
- Faint praise after a performance.
- A review that clears the bar without applause.
- Language for a result that fails to stand out.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 14 letters
Starting Zone: Row 1, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of a shrug turned into a verdict.
Hint 2 (Warmer): The phrase dismisses the subject as ordinary and unremarkable.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is N, last letter is L
---
---
---
---
---
NOTHINGSPECIAL
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: It clears the bar without earning praise.
Closer: It means sufficient for the requirement, though no better than needed.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 8 letters total
Answer
ADEQUATE
Word 2
Vague: A casual verdict that lands between bad and impressive.
Closer: This conversational adjective can mean satisfactory, acceptable, or in good order.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 7 letters total
Answer
ALRIGHT
Word 3
Vague: Think of the middle of the pack.
Closer: In arithmetic, add the values and divide by how many there are.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 7 letters total
Answer
AVERAGE
Word 4
Vague: This judgment carries more disappointment than approval.
Closer: Use this adjective for work of only middling quality, especially when disappointment is implied.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 8 letters total
Answer
MEDIOCRE
Word 5
Vague: A brief, everyday sign of acceptance.
Closer: It can serve as both an adjective meaning acceptable and a quick signal of agreement.
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 4 letters total
Answer
OKAY
Full Answers
Spangram: NOTHINGSPECIAL
Theme Words:
- ADEQUATE
- ALRIGHT
- AVERAGE
- MEDIOCRE
- OKAY
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, because five near-synonyms can blur together.
Trickiest Word: AVERAGE is the trickiest word because its mathematical meaning can pull attention away from its role as a verdict on quality.
Our Take: ADEQUATE, ALRIGHT, AVERAGE, MEDIOCRE, and OKAY form a tightly matched set of lukewarm judgments. NOTHING SPECIAL gathers that faint praise into one crisp spangram, making the whole grid feel deliberately underwhelming in a satisfying way.
