Today's NYT Strands is live for Tuesday, October 6, 2026 (Puzzle #947). 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: "Changing course"
What It Really Means
Look for verbs about changing a decision, direction, or result. The prompt reaches beyond travel to cover changes of mind and canceled actions.
Think About...
- Retreating from a firmly stated position.
- Making something face the opposite direction.
- Canceling a decision or erasing an action's effects.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Top to bottom down the board
Letter Count: 16 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 3
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of a playful expression for an unexpected substitution.
Hint 2 (Warmer): It's a familiar jokey phrase for swapping one thing for another, often as a trick.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is T, last letter is O
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THEOLDSWITCHEROO
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Become less committed to something you said.
Closer: Retreat from a bold claim when someone challenges it.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 9 letters total
Answer
BACKPEDAL
Word 2
Vague: Make the other side face up.
Closer: Use a spatula to put a pancake's cooked side on top.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 4 letters total
Answer
FLIP
Word 3
Vague: Remove the force of an earlier decision.
Closer: An appeals court can do this to a lower court's ruling.
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 8 letters total
Answer
OVERTURN
Word 4
Vague: Go in the opposite direction.
Closer: Select this gear to make a car move toward where it came from.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 7 letters total
Answer
REVERSE
Word 5
Vague: Restore things to their state before an action.
Closer: The editing command that cancels your latest change.
Letter Clue: Starts with U, 4 letters total
Answer
UNDO
Full Answers
Spangram: THEOLDSWITCHEROO
Theme Words:
- BACKPEDAL
- FLIP
- OVERTURN
- REVERSE
- UNDO
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium. The verbs are familiar, but recognizing THE OLD SWITCHEROO calls for a jump from individual actions to a playful phrase.
Trickiest Word: BACKPEDAL is the strongest candidate to stall a search. Its literal cycling meaning can distract from the theme's sense of retreating from a stated position.
Our Take: “Changing course” works well because BACKPEDAL, FLIP, OVERTURN, REVERSE, and UNDO span changes in position, direction, and outcome. THE OLD SWITCHEROO adds a mischievous tone to that collection, making the spangram feel like a punch line rather than a literal definition.
