Strands September 16, 2026: Answers, Spangram & Hints (#1116)
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 EYECATCHING, running vertically across the 8 by 6 board, and the 6 theme answers were BRIGHT, FLASHY, JAZZY, STRIKING, VIBRANT, VIVID. The official clue was "Hard not to notice". 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 5 to 8 letters.
The official theme clue
Hard not to notice
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 6, 6, 5, 8, 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 11 letters long.
- Theme word 1
- 6 letters
- Theme word 2
- 6 letters
- Theme word 3
- 5 letters
- Theme word 4
- 8 letters
- Theme word 5
- 7 letters
- Theme word 6
- 5 letters
- Spangram
- 11 letters, top to bottom
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Hint 4: One clue per word, easiest first
Crossword-style.
Theme word 1 (6 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 6 characters long and begins with the pair BR.
Theme word 2 (6 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 6 characters long and begins with the pair FL.
Theme word 3 (5 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 5 characters long and begins with the pair JA.
Theme word 4 (8 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 8 characters long and begins with the pair ST.
Theme word 5 (7 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 7 characters long and begins with the pair VI.
Theme word 6 (5 letters)
Auto-generated hint: this entry is 5 characters long and begins with the pair VI.
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Hint 5: First two letters of every theme word
Enough to start tracing.
- Theme word 1
- BR… (6 letters)
- Theme word 2
- FL… (6 letters)
- Theme word 3
- JA… (5 letters)
- Theme word 4
- ST… (8 letters)
- Theme word 5
- VI… (7 letters)
- Theme word 6
- VI… (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 11 characters and runs from the top of the grid all the way down to the bottom, both edges. Trace a single unbroken chain across the whole 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 · 6 letters
BRIGHT
BRIGHT — 6 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 2 · 6 letters
FLASHY
FLASHY — 6 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 3 · 5 letters
JAZZY
JAZZY — 5 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 4 · 8 letters
STRIKING
STRIKING — 8 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 5 · 7 letters
VIBRANT
VIBRANT — 7 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Theme word 6 · 5 letters
VIVID
VIVID — 5 letters, one of the 6 theme answers.
Spangram · 11 letters, top to bottom
EYECATCHING
EYECATCHING — the spangram, 11 letters, spanning the board vertically.
This puzzle by the numbers
- Puzzle
- (#1116) · Wednesday, September 16, 2026
- Theme answers
- 6 plus the spangram
- Board
- 6 × 8 letters
- Answer lengths
- 5–8 letters
- Spangram
- 11 letters, top to bottom
- Difficulty
- medium for a weekday board
- Valid non-theme words
- 459 accepted for hints
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