Today's NYT Strands is live for Monday, September 28, 2026 (Puzzle #939). 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: "A form of art"
What It Really Means
The prompt points to materials an artist can shape into three-dimensional art.
Think About...
- Materials soft enough to shape by hand.
- Natural materials that can be carved.
- Materials that can be cast or welded into a form.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to bottom down the board
Letter Count: 9 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 3
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of art that occupies space rather than lying flat on a page.
Hint 2 (Warmer): The central answer names the art of making three-dimensional forms from the materials in the grid.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is S, last letter is E
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SCULPTURE
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A durable blend of metals.
Closer: Think of a copper-and-tin alloy cast into statues.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 6 letters total
Answer
BRONZE
Word 2
Vague: A soft natural material that hardens after shaping.
Closer: Potters mold this damp earth before firing it in a kiln.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 4 letters total
Answer
CLAY
Word 3
Vague: A material made by cooling a hot melt.
Closer: An artist can blow this transparent material into a vessel.
Letter Clue: Starts with G, 5 letters total
Answer
GLASS
Word 4
Vague: A hard natural material prized for a smooth finish.
Closer: Michelangelo carved David from this pale metamorphic rock.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 6 letters total
Answer
MARBLE
Word 5
Vague: A soft rock that can be carved with simple tools.
Closer: Its high talc content gives this carving rock a slippery feel.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 9 letters total
Answer
SOAPSTONE
Word 6
Vague: A strong manufactured material suited to large forms.
Closer: This iron-and-carbon alloy can be welded into outdoor artworks.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 5 letters total
Answer
STEEL
Word 7
Vague: A natural material with visible grain.
Closer: Carvers use chisels to turn this tree-derived material into figures.
Letter Clue: Starts with W, 4 letters total
Answer
WOOD
Full Answers
Spangram: SCULPTURE
Theme Words:
- BRONZE
- CLAY
- GLASS
- MARBLE
- SOAPSTONE
- STEEL
- WOOD
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, because the artistic connection becomes clear with SCULPTURE, but SOAPSTONE takes a more specific bit of material knowledge.
Trickiest Word: SOAPSTONE is the trickiest word: its everyday-sounding name hides a talc-rich rock that artists can carve.
Our Take: SCULPTURE turns a broad art prompt into a focused hunt for materials. BRONZE and CLAY establish the pattern, while SOAPSTONE gives the list its sharpest surprise.
