NYT Strands Hints & Answers Today (Oct 31) #1167

Stuck on today's NYT Strands puzzle? Start with the theme clue and spangram hints below, opened one at a time. The spangram, every theme word, and a board walkthrough sit under them behind a reveal box, with yesterday's answer and the last 30 days further down. Updated every day after the new puzzle goes live.

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Spangram and Answers #1167 (October 31, 2026)

Today's Strands Hints

Today's theme clue is "It's in the bag". There are 6 theme words to find, plus the spangram that touches two opposite sides of the board.

Open the spangram hints one at a time if the theme is not clicking.

Today's Strands Answers and Walkthrough

N A E R P P
D C S K A L
T Y T I C E
R T R E A T
I C R A N G
O T K O F S
O T G N I R
H B R U S H

 n  a  e  r [P][P]
 d  c  s  k [A][L]
 t  y  t  i  c [E]
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r  a  n  g 
 o  t  k  o  f  s 
 o  t  g  n  i  r 
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

[N][A] e  r  p  p 
[D][C] s  k  a  l 
 t [Y] t  i  c  e 
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r  a  n  g 
 o  t  k  o  f  s 
 o  t  g  n  i  r 
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

 n  a  e  r  p  p 
 d  c  s  k  a  l 
 t  y  t  i  c  e 
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r [A][N][G]
 o  t  k  o [F][S]
 o  t  g  n  i  r 
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

 n  a  e  r  p  p 
 d  c  s  k  a  l 
 t  y  t  i  c  e 
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r  a  n  g 
 o  t  k  o  f  s 
 o  t [G][N][I][R]
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

 n  a [E][R] p  p 
 d  c [S][K] a  l 
 t  y [T][I][C] e 
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r  a  n  g 
 o  t  k  o  f  s 
 o  t  g  n  i  r 
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

 n  a  e  r  p  p 
 d  c  s  k  a  l 
 t  y  t  i  c  e 
 r  t  r  e  a  t 
 i  c  r  a  n  g 
[O][T] k  o  f  s 
[O][T] g  n  i  r 
[H][B][R][U][S][H]

 n  a  e  r  p  p 
 d  c  s  k  a  l 
[T] y  t  i  c  e 
[R][T][R][E][A][T]
[I][C][R] a  n  g 
 o  t [K][O] f  s 
 o  t  g  n  i  r 
 h  b  r  u  s  h 

How to Play NYT Strands - Complete Guide

Today's NYT Strands puzzle (October 31, 2026) features a theme about "It's in the bag". The key theme words you need to find are: APPLE, CANDY, FANGS, RING, STICKER, TOOTHBRUSH, with the special spangram word being TRICKORTREAT.

Step-by-Step Guide to Solving NYT Strands

1. Find Theme Words First: Start by looking for the main theme words (APPLE, CANDY, FANGS, RING, STICKER, TOOTHBRUSH). These longer words are crucial to solving the puzzle and all relate to today's theme of "It's in the bag".

2. Locate the Spangram: The spangram TRICKORTREAT is the special word that ties everything together. It's usually the longest word and directly connects to today's theme.

3. Discover Additional Words: After finding the theme words and spangram, look for other valid words by:

   • Connecting adjacent letters in any direction (up, down, left, right, or diagonal)
   • Making words of 4 or more letters
   • Using each letter cell only once per word

Tips for Higher Scores in NYT Strands

• Always start with the theme words and spangram - they're required to complete the puzzle
• Look for common prefixes and suffixes to find more words
• Try working systematically through the board, section by section
• Remember that letters can connect in any direction
• Keep track of which paths you've already tried

Remember, while finding all theme words and the spangram is essential to complete the puzzle, discovering additional valid words will increase your score and help you achieve expert-level status in NYT Strands!

Yesterday's NYT Strands Answer

Yesterday's NYT Strands answer (October 30, 2026, #1166) was CURRENT, ELECTRICITY, ENERGY, JUICE, POWER, SPARK (spangram: PLUGGEDIN).

NYT Strands Last 7 Days

What Is NYT Strands?

NYT Strands is a daily word-search puzzle from The New York Times played on a 6x8 letter grid. Unlike a traditional word search, every letter on the board is used exactly once, and words can snake in any direction - up, down, left, right, or diagonally.

Each day's puzzle has three types of words to find:

The puzzle is complete once you've found all theme words and the spangram.

How to Play NYT Strands - Step by Step

1. Visit NYT Strands - a free NYT account is required.
2. Read today's theme clue carefully before touching the board.
3. Tap or click adjacent letters to trace a word path.
4. Theme words highlight in blue, the spangram highlights in yellow.
5. Find 3 valid non-theme words to earn one hint (a highlighted letter).
6. Find all theme words and the spangram to complete the puzzle.

The puzzle resets every day at midnight Eastern Time.

8 Pro Tips to Solve NYT Strands Faster

Strategy tips from experienced Strands players:

1. Read the clue first, brainstorm hard - The clue is your biggest asset. Spend 30 seconds listing everything the clue makes you think of before looking at the letters.
2. Find the spangram first - It must touch two opposite sides of the board. Scan the edges for long, winding paths that feel thematic. Finding it instantly unlocks the puzzle's core theme.
3. Start from corners and edges - Corner letters have fewer possible connections, making them easier starting points to lock down a path.
4. Words snake - they don't have to be straight - A word can zigzag across the board in any direction as long as each letter is adjacent to the next.
5. Every letter gets used exactly once - This is your biggest constraint and your biggest clue. If you're sure a cluster of letters belongs together, trust it.
6. Farm filler words for hints - If you're stuck, find any valid word 4+ letters long. Three filler words = one free hint that highlights a letter in a theme word.
7. Use hints late, not early - Hints are most valuable when the board is nearly solved. A highlighted letter in a large remaining grid is less useful than one in a small remaining grid.
8. Think about word forms - Theme words are often plural, past tense, or compound. If you know the theme, try -ING, -ED, -ER, -S endings to find variants.

FAQs

Past NYT Strands Answers (last 30 days)