Today's NYT Strands is live for Tuesday, October 27, 2026 (Puzzle #968). 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: "Who ya gonna call?"
What It Really Means
Look for creatures whose presence in or around a home can send you reaching for professional help.
Think About...
- Tiny visitors drawn to food left on a kitchen counter.
- Furry intruders leaving evidence behind cupboards.
- Trouble discovered in wooden beams or after a walk through long grass.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 12 letters
Starting Zone: Row 4, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of someone you hire when unwelcome wildlife becomes a problem.
Hint 2 (Warmer): This professional treats infestations, using methods such as bait and targeted sprays.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is E, last letter is R
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EXTERMINATOR
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Small visitors with a highly organized social life.
Closer: These six-legged workers follow scent trails to crumbs and carry food back to a queen's colony.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 4 letters total
Answer
ANTS
Word 2
Vague: Secretive scavengers that favor darkness.
Closer: Flat-bodied insects with long feelers that can scatter beneath appliances when a kitchen light comes on.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 11 letters total
Answer
COCKROACHES
Word 3
Vague: Small, whiskered nibblers that can slip through narrow gaps.
Closer: The small rodents pursued by a cat in a familiar cartoon pairing.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 4 letters total
Answer
MICE
Word 4
Vague: Long-tailed city scavengers with strong gnawing teeth.
Closer: The rodents led out of town by the Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 4 letters total
Answer
RATS
Word 5
Vague: Colony dwellers whose feeding can damage a building.
Closer: These social insects consume cellulose and can hollow out wooden beams.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 8 letters total
Answer
TERMITES
Word 6
Vague: Tiny hitchhikers that feed on a host.
Closer: Blood-feeding arachnids to check for on skin and pets after a walk through brush.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 5 letters total
Answer
TICKS
Full Answers
Spangram: EXTERMINATOR
Theme Words:
- ANTS
- COCKROACHES
- MICE
- RATS
- TERMITES
- TICKS
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with familiar creatures to identify but a winding spangram to trace.
Trickiest Word: TICKS is the sneakiest entry because the word also suggests clock sounds or check marks. Its blood-feeding meaning fits the theme, though it asks you to think beyond kitchen intruders.
Our Take: The prompt's familiar call for help pays off neatly with EXTERMINATOR, which gives the creature list a practical connection. ANTS and COCKROACHES establish the household angle, while TERMITES and TICKS broaden the search to structural damage and outdoor encounters. That range keeps the theme from feeling like a simple kitchen checklist.