NYT Strands hints, answers for October 14, 2026
The NYT Strands hints and answers you need to make the most of your puzzling experience.
On October 14, 2026, the New York Times introduced a new version of its word-search game, Strands. This unique version requires players to find words formed by linked letters, which can change direction and create quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer, and there is always a theme linking every solution, along with a spangram, a word or phrase that sums up the day's theme and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.
For this particular puzzle, the hint provided was "Folk & fairy tale twosomes," indicating that the words were related to characters from fairy tales. The theme was explained as characters whose stories are linked. The spangram for today's puzzle was revealed to be horizontal.
The NYT Strands spangram answer for October 14 was "Once upon a time." The list of words for this puzzle included Tortoise, Hare, Beauty, Beast, Frog, Princess, and "Once upon a time." These words are all related to characters from fairy tales, fitting the theme of the day.
For those who may need more assistance or want to check the solution to yesterday's Strands, the game provides hints and the word list to help progress at the player's preferred pace.
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