Today's Strands Sports Edition is live for Monday, October 26, 2026 (Puzzle #6). 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: "She's got game"
What It Really Means
Think women's basketball. You're hunting for players' surnames, rather than teams or on-court terminology.
Think About...
- Guards directing the offense and creating their own shots.
- Centers controlling the paint.
- The Houston Comets' championship era.
Spangram Clues
Orientation: Left to right across the board
Letter Count: 11 letters
Starting Zone: Row 7, letter 6
Progressive Spangram Hints
Hint 1 (Gentle): Think about the players whose impact outlasts their playing careers.
Hint 2 (Warmer): The phrase pairs the women's professional basketball league with a word for its all-time greats.
Hint 3 (Almost There): First letter is W, last letter is S
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WNBALEGENDS
Word-by-Word Hints
Solve as many as you can before peeking. Each word includes escalating clues.
Word 1
Vague: A basketball guard known for scoring and long-range shooting.
Closer: The longtime Phoenix Mercury guard whose first name is Diana.
Letter Clue: Starts with T, 7 letters total
Answer
TAURASI
Word 2
Vague: A basketball wing celebrated for both scoring and defense.
Closer: The Houston Comets star whose first name is Sheryl.
Letter Clue: Starts with S, 7 letters total
Answer
SWOOPES
Word 3
Vague: A scoring guard associated with the early years of women's professional basketball.
Closer: The Houston Comets scoring guard whose first name is Cynthia.
Letter Clue: Starts with C, 6 letters total
Answer
COOPER
Word 4
Vague: A championship-winning basketball forward with a standout college career.
Closer: The former Minnesota Lynx forward whose first name is Maya.
Letter Clue: Starts with M, 5 letters total
Answer
MOORE
Word 5
Vague: A basketball center known for scoring, rebounding, and shot-blocking.
Closer: The longtime Los Angeles Sparks center whose first name is Lisa.
Letter Clue: Starts with L, 6 letters total
Answer
LESLIE
Word 6
Vague: A basketball frontcourt star who anchors both offense and defense.
Closer: The Las Vegas Aces frontcourt star whose first name is A'ja.
Letter Clue: Starts with W, 6 letters total
Answer
WILSON
Full Answers
Spangram: WNBALEGENDS
Theme Words:
- TAURASI
- SWOOPES
- COOPER
- MOORE
- LESLIE
- WILSON
Puzzle Debrief
Difficulty Rating: Medium, with the challenge centered on recalling surnames once the basketball connection clicks.
Trickiest Word: SWOOPES is my pick for the biggest spelling snag. Its double O and ES ending reward checking the whole surname before committing to a path.
Our Take: “She's got game” gives a broad opening, while WNBALEGENDS brings the surname hunt into focus. Pairing SWOOPES and COOPER with TAURASI, MOORE, LESLIE, and WILSON makes this a satisfying tour across basketball eras, with name recognition doing the heavy lifting.