Today's NYT Strands is live for Monday, October 19, 2026 (Puzzle #960). 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: "It's all Greek to me"
What It Really Means
Read the prompt as a pointer to ancient Greek legends. You're hunting for supernatural beings and groups from those stories.
Think About...
- Immortal powers worshipped in ancient temples.
- Spirits associated with trees, springs, and wild places.
- Supernatural sisters governing destiny, punishment, or artistic inspiration.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 12 letters
Starting Zone: Row 8, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think about the world of ancient legends.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Look for an adjective describing beings whose stories belong to ancient sacred traditions.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is M, last letter is L
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MYTHOLOGICAL
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A being on the receiving end of worship.
Closer: A general term for a god or goddess, such as Zeus or Athena.
Letter Clue: Starts with D, 5 letters total
Answer
DEITY
Word 2
Vague: A woodland spirit with a particular living home.
Closer: A female tree spirit, especially associated with an oak.
Letter Clue: Starts with D, 5 letters total
Answer
DRYAD
Word 3
Vague: A sisterhood with authority over life's course.
Closer: Three sisters who spin, measure, and cut the thread of life.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 5 letters total
Answer
FATES
Word 4
Vague: Relentless supernatural agents of punishment.
Closer: The avenging female spirits also called the Erinyes.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 6 letters total
Answer
FURIES
Word 5
Vague: Divine sources of creative inspiration.
Closer: Nine sisters invoked by poets and associated with the arts and learning.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 5 letters total
Answer
MUSES
Word 6
Vague: A female spirit associated with the natural world.
Closer: A general name for a female nature spirit inhabiting a spring, mountain, or grove.
Letter Clue: Starts with N, 5 letters total
Answer
NYMPH
Word 7
Vague: A woodland reveler combining human and animal features.
Closer: A companion of Dionysus, often depicted with horns and goat legs.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 5 letters total
Answer
SATYR
Full Answers
Spangram: MYTHOLOGICAL
Theme Words:
- DEITY
- DRYAD
- FATES
- FURIES
- MUSES
- NYMPH
- SATYR
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with the distinction between DRYAD and NYMPH adding a useful vocabulary challenge.
Trickiest Word: DRYAD is my pick because it requires the specific term for a tree spirit, while NYMPH supplies the broader nature-spirit label elsewhere in the puzzle.
Our Take: The prompt's Greek reference gives this puzzle a clear direction, and MYTHOLOGICAL ties the supernatural cast together neatly. The list gains texture from the overlap between DRYAD and NYMPH and the different roles of the FATES, FURIES, and MUSES.