Today's Strands Sports Edition is live for Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (Puzzle #21). 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: "Hawk-approved moves"
What It Really Means
You're hunting for trick names. The prompt's "Hawk" points to an athlete's surname rather than a bird.
Think About...
- Street competitors' technical repertoire.
- Aerial specialists' signature moves.
- Balance-focused freestyle routines.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 9 letters
Starting Zone: Row 7, letter 5
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of an invitation to join the action.
Hint 2 (Warmer): It's something you'd say to a friend before heading out to ride a board on wheels.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is L, last letter is E
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LETSSKATE
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: An airborne trick that sends the board rotating beneath the rider's feet.
Closer: The front foot slides up and flicks off the nose corner, sending the deck through a lengthwise rotation.
Letter Clue: Starts with K, 8 letters total
Answer
KICKFLIP
Word 2
Vague: An aerial board rotation named for the part of the foot that initiates it.
Closer: The front foot's heel flicks the deck into a lengthwise rotation.
Letter Clue: Starts with H, 8 letters total
Answer
HEELFLIP
Word 3
Vague: A foundational jump that lifts rider and board together without using the hands.
Closer: The rider pops the tail and slides the front foot up the deck to level the board in the air.
Letter Clue: Starts with O, 5 letters total
Answer
OLLIE
Word 4
Vague: A rolling balance trick rather than an airborne maneuver.
Closer: The rider rolls on the rear wheels while keeping the front wheels raised.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 6 letters total
Answer
MANUAL
Word 5
Vague: A traveling trick that puts the board's metal hardware against an obstacle.
Closer: The trucks make contact with a rail or ledge as the rider travels along it.
Letter Clue: Starts with G, 5 letters total
Answer
GRIND
Word 6
Vague: A turning trick in which the board changes direction beneath the rider.
Closer: The deck swings nose-to-tail beneath the rider without turning upside down, while the rider's body keeps facing forward.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 7 letters total
Answer
SHOVEIT
Full Answers
Spangram: LETSSKATE
Theme Words:
- KICKFLIP
- HEELFLIP
- OLLIE
- MANUAL
- GRIND
- SHOVEIT
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with the challenge concentrated in specialized trick vocabulary.
Trickiest Word: SHOVEIT is my pick for the sticking point, because its compressed spelling hides the familiar phrase "shove it."
Our Take: "Hawk-approved moves" gives the theme a crisp entry point, and LETSSKATE turns that reference into an invitation. KICKFLIP and HEELFLIP make a satisfying pair, while MANUAL and GRIND broaden the list beyond aerial tricks. The vocabulary gives this puzzle its bite.