Today's Strands Sports Edition is live for Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (Puzzle #22). 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: "Dunk contest"
What It Really Means
You're hunting for basketball terms that name styles of dunks.
Think About...
- An athletic forward's repertoire.
- The spectacle of basketball's individual skills competitions.
- Highlight reels from every era of the game.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 10 letters
Starting Zone: Row 5, letter 6
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think of a gathering where creative flair takes center stage.
Hint 2 (Warmer): The phrase sounds musical, but here the performers show their creativity above the rim.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is J, last letter is N
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JAMSESSION
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A basketball finish with a sweeping arm motion.
Closer: The player swings the ball in a large circular motion before slamming it through the hoop.
Letter Clue: Starts with W, 8 letters total
Answer
WINDMILL
Word 2
Vague: A finish that changes your orientation to the basket.
Closer: The player finishes with their back toward the basket, sending the ball through behind their head.
Letter Clue: Starts with R, 7 letters total
Answer
REVERSE
Word 3
Vague: A forceful finish with an overhead striking motion.
Closer: The ball comes back behind the player's head before being driven forward and down through the hoop.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 8 letters total
Answer
TOMAHAWK
Word 4
Vague: A scoring opportunity created by a missed shot.
Closer: An offensive rebound leads straight to a scoring attempt at the same basket.
Letter Clue: Starts with P, 7 letters total
Answer
PUTBACK
Word 5
Vague: An airborne finish set up by a teammate.
Closer: A teammate lofts a pass near the rim, and the receiver catches it in the air and scores before landing.
Letter Clue: Starts with A, 8 letters total
Answer
ALLEYOOP
Full Answers
Spangram: JAMSESSION
Theme Words:
- WINDMILL
- REVERSE
- TOMAHAWK
- PUTBACK
- ALLEYOOP
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with basketball vocabulary doing more of the work than the direct theme prompt.
Trickiest Word: PUTBACK is the likeliest sticking point because it starts with a missed shot, a less obvious fit for the prompt's emphasis on showmanship.
Our Take: The direct Dunk contest prompt gives this puzzle a clear entry point, while JAMSESSION adds a playful musical twist. WINDMILL and TOMAHAWK supply the aerial spectacle, and PUTBACK broadens the list to include an opportunistic finish during play.