Strands October 27, 2026: Answers, Spangram & Hints (#1174)
Recap
This puzzle required identifying various household pests and the professional service that deals with them, all tied together by a popular cultural reference.
The official theme clue
Who ya gonna call?
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.
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Hint 1: What the theme was getting at
A reading of the theme. No answers.
The theme appears to be related to creatures that are commonly considered pests and the professionals who deal with them, hinting at a popular cultural reference.
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Hint 2: The category, said plainly
The same idea, unhedged.
Category of unwanted household creatures and their eliminators
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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 12 letters long.
- Theme word 1
- 4 letters
- Theme word 2
- 4 letters
- Theme word 3
- 5 letters
- Theme word 4
- 4 letters
- Theme word 5
- 8 letters
- Theme word 6
- 11 letters
- Spangram
- 12 letters, side to side
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Hint 4: One clue per word, easiest first
Crossword-style.
Theme word 1 (4 letters)
Small rodents often found in homes and farms
Theme word 2 (4 letters)
Larger rodents that can carry diseases and infest homes
Theme word 3 (5 letters)
Blood-sucking arachnids that can transmit diseases to humans and pets
Theme word 4 (4 letters)
Common household insects that can infest food and structures
Theme word 5 (8 letters)
Wood-eating insects that can cause significant structural damage to buildings
Theme word 6 (11 letters)
Resilient, disease-carrying insects often found in unsanitary conditions
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Hint 5: First two letters of every theme word
Enough to start tracing.
- Theme word 1
- MI… (4 letters)
- Theme word 2
- RA… (4 letters)
- Theme word 3
- TI… (5 letters)
- Theme word 4
- AN… (4 letters)
- Theme word 5
- TE… (8 letters)
- Theme word 6
- CO… (11 letters)
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Hint 6: What the spangram meant
The long one that tied the board together.
Professional service that deals with removing or killing unwanted pests in homes and businesses
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 · 4 letters
ANTS
A type of common household pest that can infest food and structures, often requiring elimination
Theme word 2 · 11 letters
COCKROACHES
Resilient, disease-carrying insects that are often targeted by pest control services for removal
Theme word 3 · 4 letters
MICE
Small rodents that can cause damage and spread disease, commonly requiring extermination
Theme word 4 · 4 letters
RATS
Larger rodents that can carry diseases and infest homes, often necessitating professional elimination
Theme word 5 · 8 letters
TERMITES
Wood-eating insects that can cause significant structural damage to buildings, requiring specialized extermination
Theme word 6 · 5 letters
TICKS
Blood-sucking arachnids that can transmit diseases to humans and pets, often targeted for removal
Spangram · 12 letters, side to side
EXTERMINATOR
A professional who eliminates pests, often called upon to deal with infestations of various creatures
This puzzle by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1174) · Tuesday, October 27, 2026
- Theme answers
- 6 plus the spangram
- Board
- 6 × 8 letters
- Answer lengths
- 4–11 letters
- Spangram
- 12 letters, side to side
- Difficulty
- medium for a weekday board
- Valid non-theme words
- 1160 accepted for hints
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