Strands September 14, 2026: Answers, Spangram & Hints (#1113)
The written hints below were assembled automatically from the puzzle data rather than composed by an editor. Every number in them is counted off the board, so they are accurate — just plainer than usual.
Recap
The spangram was THATSSHOCKING, running vertically across the 8 by 6 board, and the 6 theme answers were EXCLAIM, FREEZE, GASP, RECOIL, SHUDDER, START. The official clue was "OH MY GOSH!!". This recap was assembled automatically from the puzzle data rather than written by an editor, so it lists what appeared on the board without commentary on how hard any individual answer proved to be. Answer lengths ran from 4 to 7 letters.
The official theme clue
OH MY GOSH!!
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.
Auto-generated hint: no written reading of the theme was available, so here is what the puzzle itself tells you. There are 6 theme entries hidden in the 8 by 6 grid, plus the long entry that ties them together. Their lengths are 7, 6, 4, 6, 7 and 5. Read the official clue printed above the grid and use these counts to narrow down what fits.
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Hint 2: The category, said plainly
The same idea, unhedged.
Auto-generated hint: 6 entries share one topic, and the official clue printed above the puzzle is the fastest way into it.
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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 top to bottom and was 13 letters long.
- Theme word 1
- 7 letters
- Theme word 2
- 6 letters
- Theme word 3
- 4 letters
- Theme word 4
- 6 letters
- Theme word 5
- 7 letters
- Theme word 6
- 5 letters
- Spangram
- 13 letters, top to bottom
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Hint 4: One clue per word, easiest first
Crossword-style.
Theme word 1 (7 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 7 characters long and begins with the pair EX.
Theme word 2 (6 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 6 characters long and begins with the pair FR.
Theme word 3 (4 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 4 characters long and begins with the pair GA.
Theme word 4 (6 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 6 characters long and begins with the pair RE.
Theme word 5 (7 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 7 characters long and begins with the pair SH.
Theme word 6 (5 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 5 characters long and begins with the pair ST.
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Hint 5: First two letters of every theme word
Enough to start tracing.
- Theme word 1
- EX… (7 letters)
- Theme word 2
- FR… (6 letters)
- Theme word 3
- GA… (4 letters)
- Theme word 4
- RE… (6 letters)
- Theme word 5
- SH… (7 letters)
- Theme word 6
- ST… (5 letters)
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Hint 6: What the spangram meant
The long one that tied the board together.
Auto-generated hint: the long entry is 13 characters and runs from the top of the grid all the way down to the bottom, touching both edges. Trace a single unbroken chain across the whole thing and the rest becomes much easier to see.
It touched both edges, running top to bottom across all 8 rows.
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
EXCLAIM
EXCLAIM — 7 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 2 · 6 letters
FREEZE
FREEZE — 6 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 3 · 4 letters
GASP
GASP — 4 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 4 · 6 letters
RECOIL
RECOIL — 6 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 5 · 7 letters
SHUDDER
SHUDDER — 7 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 6 · 5 letters
START
START — 5 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Spangram · 13 letters, top to bottom
THATSSHOCKING
THATSSHOCKING — the spangram, 13 letters, spanning the board vertically.
This puzzle by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1113) · Monday, September 14, 2026
- Theme answers
- 6 plus the spangram
- Board
- 6 × 8 letters
- Answer lengths
- 4–7 letters
- Spangram
- 13 letters, top to bottom
- Difficulty
- medium for a weekday board
- Valid non-theme words
- 1179 accepted for hints
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