Today's NYT Strands is live for Sunday, October 4, 2026 (Puzzle #945). 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: "Grab your tokens"
What It Really Means
You're hunting for the names of classic coin-operated video titles. The tokens point toward cabinets, controls, and high-score screens.
Think About...
- Space battles on glowing screens.
- Creatures that crawl or hop through hazards.
- A stripped-down sporting contest with two controls.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 11 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of the entertainment a pocketful of tokens buys.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Look for a collective term for the playable attractions housed in coin-operated cabinets.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is A, last letter is S
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ARCADEGAMES
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Rocky hazards far from Earth.
Closer: These rocky bodies orbit the Sun, with a major belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 9 letters total
Answer
ASTEROIDS
Word 2
Vague: A crawling creature with an abundance of legs.
Closer: This elongated arthropod has one pair of legs per body segment.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 9 letters total
Answer
CENTIPEDE
Word 3
Vague: A little hopper with a hazardous journey ahead.
Closer: Guide an amphibian across busy traffic, then use floating logs to cross the water.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 7 letters total
Answer
FROGGER
Word 4
Vague: A ball travels back and forth between opponents.
Closer: Two paddles and a bouncing ball turn table tennis into a simple screen contest.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 4 letters total
Answer
PONG
Word 5
Vague: A word that can mean a hurried, awkward climb.
Closer: You can do this to eggs in a pan or to letters when mixing up their order.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 8 letters total
Answer
SCRAMBLE
Full Answers
Spangram: ARCADEGAMES
Theme Words:
- ASTEROIDS
- CENTIPEDE
- FROGGER
- PONG
- SCRAMBLE
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with a clear token clue and a word list that rewards familiarity with older video titles.
Trickiest Word: SCRAMBLE is the strongest candidate to stall a solve because its everyday meanings pull toward cooking, mixing, or hurried movement. Connecting it to a video title requires a more specific association.
Our Take: “Grab your tokens” gives this puzzle a concrete setting, and ARCADEGAMES neatly ties the titles together. ASTEROIDS and CENTIPEDE invite literal readings at first, while FROGGER and PONG help establish the intended direction. SCRAMBLE adds a useful wrinkle through its everyday meanings.
