Today's NYT Strands is live for Sunday, March 15, 2026 (Puzzle #742). 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: "Best of all"
What It Really Means
This theme refers to the highest honors in film, specifically, Academy Award categories and winners. You're looking for Oscar-related terms.
Think About...
- Major Academy Award categories
- Film industry roles that win Oscars
- Technical and creative award classifications
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Across then up, across then down and across
Letter Count: 12 letters
Starting Zone: First letter of the fifth row
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): The most prestigious film awards ceremony
Hint 2 (Warmer): Hollywood's biggest night, often called "The Oscars"
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is A, last letter is S
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ACADEMYAWARD
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A performer who might win Best Actor
Closer: Male film star eligible for an Oscar
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 5 letters total
Answer
ACTOR
Word 2
Vague: The creative force behind a film
Closer: Person who oversees the entire film production
Letter Clue: Starts with D, 8 letters total
Answer
DIRECTOR
Word 3
Vague: Technical award category
Closer: Audio-related Oscar for mixing or editing
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 5 letters total
Answer
SOUND
Word 4
Vague: The top award category
Closer: Best Picture is the most coveted Oscar
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 7 letters total
Answer
PICTURE
Word 5
Vague: Musical category award
Closer: Original song from a film soundtrack
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 4 letters total
Answer
SONG
Word 6
Vague: Female counterpart to Word 1
Closer: Performer eligible for Best Actress
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 7 letters total
Answer
ACTRESS
Full Answers
Spangram: ACADEMYAWARD
Theme Words:
- ACTOR
- DIRECTOR
- SOUND
- PICTURE
- SONG
- ACTRESS
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: SOUNDS (could be mistaken for singular "SOUND" or other audio terms)
Our Take: A straightforward Oscar-themed puzzle that film buffs will appreciate. The spangram ACADEMYAWARDS cleverly spans the board, while the theme words cover major award categories and roles. The puzzle balances obvious terms like ACTOR and ACTRESS with slightly more technical ones like SOUNDS.
