Strands August 23, 2026: Answers, Spangram & Hints (#1092)
Recap
This puzzle takes solvers on a journey through the elements of a famous ancient Greek epic, exploring characters, places, and objects that are central to the story. Solvers must navigate the clues to uncover the key terms that make up this legendary adventure.
The official theme clue
An epic journey
Printed above the board in the app itself that day — the line that decided which of the many words hiding in the grid actually counted.
Strands hints, one rung at a time
Six rungs, softest first. The recap above already named the answers, so this ladder is here for anyone replaying the board fresh rather than as a spoiler shield.
-
Hint 1: What the theme was getting at
A reading of the theme. No answers.
The theme revolves around a legendary adventure, exploring various elements that are crucial to its narrative.
-
Hint 2: The category, said plainly
The same idea, unhedged.
Category related to a famous ancient Greek epic story
-
Hint 3: Board facts: how many words, how long
Counted off the grid.
The board was 6 letters wide and 8 tall. 6 theme answers were hidden in it, plus the spangram, which ran side to side and was 10 letters long.
- Theme word 1
- 4 letters
- Theme word 2
- 4 letters
- Theme word 3
- 6 letters
- Theme word 4
- 7 letters
- Theme word 5
- 7 letters
- Theme word 6
- 10 letters
- Spangram
- 10 letters, side to side
-
Hint 4: One clue per word, easiest first
Crossword-style.
Theme word 1 (4 letters)
Vessel for traveling over water
Theme word 2 (4 letters)
Ruler of a country or kingdom
Theme word 3 (6 letters)
Mythical creatures known for their singing
Theme word 4 (7 letters)
One-eyed giants in Greek mythology
Theme word 5 (7 letters)
Men competing for the hand of a woman in marriage
Theme word 6 (10 letters)
Place in mythology where souls go after death
-
Hint 5: First two letters of every theme word
Enough to start tracing.
- Theme word 1
- SH… (4 letters)
- Theme word 2
- KI… (4 letters)
- Theme word 3
- SI… (6 letters)
- Theme word 4
- CY… (7 letters)
- Theme word 5
- SU… (7 letters)
- Theme word 6
- UN… (10 letters)
-
Hint 6: What the spangram meant
The long one that tied the board together.
This term refers to a long, eventful journey or quest, often associated with a legendary hero
It touched both edges, running side to side across all 6 columns.
The starting letter board
The grid as printed, 6 across and 8 down. Read only — reveal an answer below and this board traces it.
Every Strands answer and the spangram
Every answer from that board, folded. Opening one traces its path above — the spangram in gold.
Theme word 1 · 7 letters
CYCLOPS
One-eyed giants encountered by the hero on his journey
Theme word 2 · 4 letters
KING
Ruler who helps or hinders the hero's progress
Theme word 3 · 4 letters
SHIP
Vessel used by the hero for traveling
Theme word 4 · 6 letters
SIRENS
Mythical creatures who try to lure the hero off course
Theme word 5 · 7 letters
SUITORS
Men vying for the hand of a key female character
Theme word 6 · 10 letters
UNDERWORLD
Place the hero visits as part of his journey
Spangram · 10 letters, side to side
THEODYSSEY
The epic journey of a legendary Greek hero
This puzzle by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1092) · Sunday, August 23, 2026
- Theme answers
- 6 plus the spangram
- Board
- 6 × 8 letters
- Answer lengths
- 4–10 letters
- Spangram
- 10 letters, side to side
- Difficulty
- medium for a weekday board
- Valid non-theme words
- 786 accepted for hints
More Strands
See the live Strands hints and answers page for the current puzzle, or browse every archived Strands date by month.
Try another puzzle
-
The live NYT Connections hints and answers page
Sixteen tiles, four groups, and a graded hint ladder from nudge to full answer.
-
The live NYT Pips hints and answers page
Easy, medium and hard boards with domino inventories and full walkthroughs.