Today's NYT Strands is live for Sunday, June 14, 2026 (Puzzle #833). 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: "Peer group"
What It Really Means
Today's puzzle is about the British aristocracy and its hierarchical ranks. Each theme word is a title within the peerage system that defines one's station among the nobility.
Think About...
- Titles and honorifics used in the British royal court
- Historical ranks from dukes down to barons
- Forms of address like "Your Grace" or "My Lord"
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Vertical (zig zag)
Letter Count: 8 letters
Starting Zone: Third letter of the first row
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): This word describes the entire class of people who hold aristocratic titles.
Hint 2 (Warmer): Think of the collective term for dukes, earls, barons, and all the titled elite in a monarchy.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is N, last letter is Y
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NOBILITY
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: The highest rank below a monarch, often ruling a region.
Closer: Both male and female versions of this title exist, though the female form has an extra suffix.
Letter Clue: Starts with D, 7 letters total
Answer
DUCHESS
Word 2
Vague: A general honorific for a woman of high social standing.
Closer: This title is used for the wife of a lord or as a courtesy title for daughters of nobles.
Letter Clue: Starts with L, 4 letters total
Answer
LADY
Word 3
Vague: A noble rank positioned between duke and earl.
Closer: This rank is spelled with a double S and is sometimes called marquis in certain traditions.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 8 letters total
Answer
MARQUESS
Word 4
Vague: A noble rank below earl but above baron.
Closer: The title traces back to the Latin for "companion" or "attendant" in a royal court.
Letter Clue: Starts with V, 8 letters total
Answer
VISCOUNT
Word 5
Vague: A general title for a man who holds a peerage or a feudal estate.
Closer: This word appears in the phrase "House of ___" referring to the upper chamber of British Parliament.
Letter Clue: Starts with L, 4 letters total
Answer
LORD
Word 6
Vague: The lowest rank in the British peerage system.
Closer: This title was originally a feudal landholder who answered directly to the king.
Letter Clue: Starts with B, 5 letters total
Answer
BARON
Word 7
Vague: A mid-level noble rank, historically the most common in medieval England.
Closer: This title is one of the oldest in the peerage and is pronounced like "url."
Letter Clue: Starts with E, 4 letters total
Answer
EARL
Full Answers
Spangram: NOBILITY
Theme Words:
- DUCHESS
- LADY
- MARQUESS
- VISCOUNT
- LORD
- BARON
- EARL
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: MARQUESS (Its double-S spelling and less common usage make it easy to miss, especially since the alternate spelling "marquis" might come to mind first.)
Our Take: A solid Sunday puzzle with a clear thematic through-line. The British peerage theme is cohesive and educational, though the seven theme words mean a dense board. The spangram NOBILITY ties everything together neatly, and the zig-zag orientation adds just enough friction to keep it interesting without being frustrating.
