Today's NYT Strands is live for Friday, June 26, 2026 (Puzzle #845). 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: "I'll gobble you up!"
What It Really Means
This puzzle draws from the classic Norwegian fairy tale "The Three Billy Goats Gruff," where a nasty troll threatens to gobble up any goat who tries to cross his bridge. Every theme word connects directly to that story.
Think About...
- Characters and creatures from the fairy tale
- Parts of the story's setting and geography
- Physical features and dialogue from the tale
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Diagonal (top-left to bottom-right)
Letter Count: 15 letters
Starting Zone: Begins at the first letter of the first row, upper-left corner
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): This is the name of the main characters in the fairy tale.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Think of three siblings who cross a bridge and are known for their facial hair.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is B, last letter is F
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BILLYGOATSGRUFF
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A number that appears in the story's title.
Closer: How many goats cross the bridge in the tale.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 5 letters total
Answer
THREE
Word 2
Vague: A structure the goats need to cross.
Closer: The thing that spans the river and where the troll lives underneath.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 6 letters total
Answer
BRIDGE
Word 3
Vague: What the goats need to do to get to the other side.
Closer: The action of traveling across or through a point.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 4 letters total
Answer
PASS
Word 4
Vague: What the three goats are to each other.
Closer: Male siblings who share the same parents.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 8 letters total
Answer
BROTHERS
Word 5
Vague: A distinct feature on the goats' heads.
Closer: The pointy protrusions that billy goats are known for.
Letter Clue: Starts with H, 5 letters total
Answer
HORNS
Word 6
Vague: The creature that threatens to eat the goats.
Closer: A mythological or folkloric monster living under a bridge.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 5 letters total
Answer
TROLL
Full Answers
Spangram: BILLYGOATSGRUFF
Theme Words:
- THREE
- BRIDGE
- PASS
- BROTHERS
- HORNS
- TROLL
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Easy
Trickiest Word: PASS (It's a short, common word that could mean many things, making it easy to overlook as a theme word tied to the fairy tale.)
Our Take: A straightforward Friday puzzle that leans on a classic fairy tale almost everyone knows. The theme is tight and consistent -- every word earns its place. The spangram is a fun mouthful that rewards you for spotting the story connection early.
