NYT Strands for 9 November 2026 has the theme “Idle chatter”. There are five theme words and one spangram to find.
9 November 2026 NYT Strands #981 Theme: “Idle chatter”
The board has 8 rows and 6 columns, and every letter belongs to one of the five theme words or the spangram.
9 November 2026 NYT Strands: Hints
Open the hints one at a time. Each hint gives away more than the one before it.
Hint 1 · take it literally
The clue points to casual conversation with no serious purpose.
Hint 2 · informal conversation terms
Look for informal names for relaxed talk and social chatting.
Hint 3 · first letters
The theme words start with B, C, G, G and S.
Hint 4 · spangram route
The spangram starts on the left edge of the board and ends on the top edge.
Hint 5 · spangram shape and meaning
The spangram has three words, with letter counts of 5, 3 and 6. It means to chat casually about unimportant things.
Three words that earn a hint
These three words are valid on today’s board and are not theme words: THIS, BEST and COME. Entering three such words earns one hint in the game.
9 November 2026 NYT Strands: Answers
The five theme words and the spangram are folded below. Open them one at a time.
First two letters of each theme word
The theme words start with BA, CH, GA, GO and SC.
Today’s five theme words
- Banter
- Chinwag
- Gabfest
- Gossip
- Schmooze
Spangram
The spangram names the theme and runs from one side of the board to the opposite side.
Spangram letter count
The spangram has 14 letters.
First and last spangram letters
The spangram starts with S and ends with E.
Today’s spangram
SHOOT THE BREEZE
To shoot the breeze is to have a casual conversation with no particular purpose. The theme words describe forms of informal talk or social chatting.
Reveal the board one word at a time
Each fold below adds one word to the board, so you can stop after any word. The last fold adds the spangram.
Word 1 of 6 on the board
Banter
Word 2 of 6 on the board
Chinwag
Word 3 of 6 on the board
Gabfest
Word 4 of 6 on the board
Gossip
Word 5 of 6 on the board
Schmooze
Word 6 of 6 on the board
SHOOT THE BREEZE
Yesterday’s Strands answer for 8 November 2026
Yesterday’s theme was “Disciplined combat”. The theme words were Judo, Karate, Kickboxing, Ninjutsu and Taekwondo, and the spangram was MARTIALARTS.
More Strands: Yesterday’s puzzle · Play Strands on The New York Times
Also today: Wordle · Connections · Pips · Phrazle · Quordle · Keyword · Colordle · Unwordle · Hurdle · NYT Crossword · NYT Mini · NYT Midi · Jumble · Spelling Bee · Letter Boxed · Parseword · Poeltl
Earlier days: 8 Nov · 7 Nov · 6 Nov · 5 Nov · 4 Nov · 3 Nov · 2 Nov
Questions about Strands
When does Strands change to a new puzzle?
A new puzzle arrives at midnight in the player’s own time zone.
How many tries does a player get in Strands?
There is no limit on guesses, and the game cannot be lost.
Where can a person play Strands?
Play on The New York Times Games site or in the NYT Games app: Strands.
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