Today's NYT Strands is live for Saturday, September 19, 2026 (Puzzle #930). 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: "Shiver me timbers!"
What It Really Means
Hunt for colorful bits of old-fashioned nautical speech, including calls, commands, and forms of address.
Think About...
- A drawn-out exclamation heard aboard a storybook ship.
- Commands and greetings with an old seafaring flavor.
- The sort of language delivered with a swagger and a growl.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 15 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): The connecting phrase describes adopting the voice suggested by every themed expression.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Think of an instruction to imitate a swashbuckling sailor's speech.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is T, last letter is E
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TALKLIKEAPIRATE
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A gravelly cry of approval or recognition.
Closer: Stretch the opening vowel and follow it with a rolling growl.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 4 letters total
Answer
ARRR
Word 2
Vague: An old command meant to stop someone or demand attention.
Closer: This archaic nautical command functions like “stop” or “hold.”
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 5 letters total
Answer
AVAST
Word 3
Vague: A warm collective form of address for loyal companions.
Closer: It is the plural term a captain might use for beloved members of the crew.
Letter Clue: Starts with H, 8 letters total
Answer
HEARTIES
Word 4
Vague: An informal way to address a close shipboard companion.
Closer: Add a jaunty old-time ending to a word for a companion.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 5 letters total
Answer
MATEY
Word 5
Vague: An adjective for someone who understands the situation.
Closer: It can mean well-informed, as in someone who knows the ropes.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 5 letters total
Answer
SAVVY
Word 6
Vague: A rhythmic exclamation associated with sea songs and revelry.
Closer: It is the repeated, songlike cry linked to a famous bottle-of-rum refrain.
Letter Clue: Starts with Y, 6 letters total
Answer
YOHOHO
Full Answers
Spangram: TALKLIKEAPIRATE
Theme Words:
- ARRR
- AVAST
- HEARTIES
- MATEY
- SAVVY
- YOHOHO
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, because the stylized expressions are recognizable once the voice clicks, but several are unusually short or archaic.
Trickiest Word: SAVVY is the trickiest word because its everyday adjective sense, well-informed, can obscure its use here as a pointed question meaning “understand?”
Our Take: TALKLIKEAPIRATE gives the set a crisp organizing instruction, and ARRR, AVAST, HEARTIES, MATEY, SAVVY, and YOHOHO supply the exaggerated vocabulary. The mix of commands, addresses, and cries makes the theme cohesive while giving each discovery a distinct role.
