Today's NYT Strands is live for Saturday, May 9, 2026 (Puzzle #797). 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: "Garden varieties"
What It Really Means
Today's puzzle is all about edible plants that come straight from the garden. Every theme word is a vegetable or vegetable-adjacent crop you'd find growing in a springtime plot, from root veggies to leafy greens to stalky spears.
Think About...
- Common vegetables found in home gardens and farmers markets
- Plants that are harvested in spring and early summer
- Vegetables with distinct shapes, textures, or growing habits
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Diagonal across the grid
Letter Count: 12 letters
Starting Zone: First letter of the last row
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think about the season when gardens start producing fresh crops.
Hint 2 (Warmer): This spangram combines a season with a broad category of edible plants.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is S, last letter is E
---
---
---
---
---
SPRINGVEGGIE
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A tall, spear-shaped vegetable that signals the start of spring.
Closer: It's often steamed or roasted and pairs well with hollandaise sauce.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 9 letters total
Answer
ASPARAGUS
Word 2
Vague: A round, spiky vegetable that requires some peeling to reach the heart.
Closer: Its name includes the word "choke" because of the fuzzy center that can be tricky to eat.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 9 letters total
Answer
ARTICHOKE
Word 3
Vague: A bulb-shaped vegetable known for making people cry when chopped.
Closer: It comes in yellow, white, and red varieties and is a base for countless recipes.
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 5 letters total
Answer
ONION
Word 4
Vague: A leafy green vegetable that forms the base of most salads.
Closer: Varieties include romaine, iceberg, and butterhead.
Letter Clue: Starts with L, 7 letters total
Answer
LETTUCE
Word 5
Vague: A small, crunchy root vegetable with a peppery kick.
Closer: It's often sliced thin and added to salads or served with butter and salt.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 6 letters total
Answer
RADISH
Full Answers
Spangram: SPRINGVEGGIE
Theme Words:
- ASPARAGUS
- ARTICHOKE
- ONION
- LETTUCE
- RADISH
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: ARTICHOKE (Not everyone immediately thinks of artichokes as a garden vegetable, and the 9-letter length can make it harder to spot in the grid compared to shorter words like ONION or RADISH.)
Our Take: A solid Saturday puzzle with a straightforward theme that rewards gardeners and foodies alike. The spangram SPRINGVEGGIE is clever wordplay that neatly ties the season to the subject, and the word list covers enough ground to keep things interesting without veering into obscure territory.
