Today's Strands Sports Edition is live for Thursday, October 22, 2026 (Puzzle #2). Stuck on today's Strands Sports Edition? We've got progressive hints, from gentle nudges to full solutions, so you can solve at your own pace.
How Strands Sports Edition Works (New Players Start Here)
Strands Sports Edition is the free daily sports word search from The Athletic and NYT Games. It hides sports-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 two opposite sides.
Need a boost? Every three non-theme words you find (four letters or longer) earn a hint that highlights the letters of a theme word. A new puzzle arrives every day at midnight local time.
Theme Decoder
Today's Theme Prompt: "L.A. on our mind"
What It Really Means
The Los Angeles cue points to Olympic sports contested away from snow and ice. Look for disciplines rather than athletes or team names.
Think About...
- Races decided in marked pool lanes.
- Head-to-head contests built around precise attacks and defense.
- Outdoor events shaped by terrain or ocean conditions.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 11 letters
Starting Zone: Row 4, letter 1
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of the international sporting occasion that brings these disciplines together.
Hint 2 (Warmer): You want a seasonal name for the Olympics associated with pools and outdoor arenas.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is S, last letter is S
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SUMMERGAMES
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: Athletes race through water under their own power.
Closer: Backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly belong to this pool discipline.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 8 letters total
Answer
SWIMMING
Word 2
Vague: A combat sport built around blade work.
Closer: Foil, épée, and sabre are its weapons.
Letter Clue: Starts with F, 7 letters total
Answer
FENCING
Word 3
Vague: A mat contest where balance and leverage drive the action.
Closer: This Japanese martial art features throws and holds, with an ippon ending the contest.
Letter Clue: Starts with J, 4 letters total
Answer
JUDO
Word 4
Vague: A target sport played across fairways and greens.
Closer: Players use drivers, irons, and putters to complete a course in as few strokes as possible.
Letter Clue: Starts with G, 4 letters total
Answer
GOLF
Word 5
Vague: A racing discipline powered by pedals.
Closer: Bicycles carry competitors through road races or around a velodrome.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 7 letters total
Answer
CYCLING
Word 6
Vague: An ocean sport that rewards balance and timing.
Closer: Competitors stand on boards and perform maneuvers on breaking waves.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 7 letters total
Answer
SURFING
Full Answers
Spangram: SUMMERGAMES
Theme Words:
- SWIMMING
- FENCING
- JUDO
- GOLF
- CYCLING
- SURFING
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with familiar sport names behind a city cue that takes a little interpretation.
Trickiest Word: CYCLING is my pick for the sticking point. Its repeated C and consonant-heavy opening make the letter sequence less obvious at a glance.
Our Take: The Los Angeles prompt gives this a satisfying shift from city clue to sporting occasion, with SUMMERGAMES tying the answers together. The range from FENCING and JUDO to SWIMMING and SURFING keeps the search moving between distinct disciplines.