Today's NYT Strands is live for Thursday, June 18, 2026 (Puzzle #837). 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: "Beneath the waves"
What It Really Means
Everything in today's puzzle lives underwater. From the smallest microscopic drifters to the apex predators of the deep, every answer is something you would encounter in a marine ecosystem.
Think About...
- Creatures and organisms that inhabit oceans, seas, and reefs
- Marine plant life and the foundational elements of aquatic food chains
- Features of a coral reef ecosystem and the diversity it supports
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Diagonal zigzag
Letter Count: 9 letters
Starting Zone: Third letter of the bottom row, snaking upward and left
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of the most biodiverse underwater structure on the planet, a living city built by tiny organisms.
Hint 2 (Warmer): This is a tropical marine ecosystem made of calcium carbonate skeletons, home to a quarter of all marine species.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is C, last letter is F
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CORALREEF
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: The ocean's top predator, feared but often misunderstood.
Closer: This cartilaginous fish has been around for over 400 million years and is known for its rows of replaceable teeth.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 5 letters total
Answer
SHARK
Word 2
Vague: Tiny organisms that drift through the water column, forming the base of the marine food web.
Closer: These microscopic plants and animals are the primary food source for many sea creatures, from tiny fish to massive whales.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 8 letters total
Answer
PLANKTON
Word 3
Vague: A broad category of aquatic vertebrates that come in every size, color, and shape imaginable.
Closer: From clownfish to tuna, these gill-bearing creatures are the most diverse group of vertebrates on Earth.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 4 letters total
Answer
FISH
Word 4
Vague: Underwater plant life that sways with the currents and provides shelter for marine animals.
Closer: Also known as marine macroalgae, this grows in dense underwater forests along coastlines worldwide.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 6 letters total
Answer
SEAWEED
Word 5
Vague: A small, spiny creature that grazes on algae and often hides in rocky crevices.
Closer: This round, spiky echinoderm is known for its slow movement and its role in controlling algae growth on coral reefs.
Letter Clue: Starts with U, 6 letters total
Answer
URCHIN
Word 6
Vague: Simple, plant-like organisms that can form colorful blooms on water surfaces.
Closer: These photosynthetic organisms range from microscopic phytoplankton to large seaweeds and are essential oxygen producers.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 5 letters total
Answer
ALGAE
Word 7
Vague: A hard-shelled scavenger that scuttles along the ocean floor.
Closer: This crustacean has ten legs, a pair of pincers, and is found on shores and reefs around the world.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 4 letters total
Answer
CRAB
Full Answers
Spangram: CORALREEF
Theme Words:
- SHARK
- PLANKTON
- FISH
- SEAWEED
- URCHIN
- ALGAE
- CRAB
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Moderate
Trickiest Word: PLANKTON (Eight letters and not an immediately obvious "creature" like the others, making it harder to spot in the grid if you're thinking only of larger marine animals.)
Our Take: A solid marine biology theme that covers the full spectrum of ocean life, from the microscopic (PLANKTON, ALGAE) to the massive (SHARK). The spangram CORALREEF ties everything together neatly as the ecosystem where many of these organisms interact. Nothing too devious here, but the diagonal spangram path requires some careful tracing.
