NYT Strands for 17 October 2026 has the theme “ Quite the crush”. There are six theme words and one spangram to find.
17 October 2026 NYT Strands #958 Theme: “ Quite the crush”
The board has 8 rows and 6 columns, and every letter belongs to one of the six theme words or the spangram.
17 October 2026 NYT Strands: Hints
Open the hints one at a time. Each hint gives away more than the one before it.
Hint 1 · a romantic reading
The clue points to a romantic feeling.
Hint 2 · nervous reactions
Look for things someone might do around a person they like.
Hint 3 · first letters
The theme words start with B, B, F, G, P and S.
Hint 4 · spangram route
The spangram starts in the top-left corner of the board and ends on the right edge.
Hint 5 · spangram shape and meaning
The spangram has three words, with letter counts of 4, 2 and 4. It means developing deep romantic feelings for someone.
Three words that earn a hint
These three words are valid on today’s board and are not theme words: LIFE, GIVE and MUST. Entering three such words earns one hint in the game.
17 October 2026 NYT Strands: Answers
The six 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, BL, FI, GI, PE and ST.
Today’s six theme words
- Babble
- Blush
- Fidget
- Giggle
- Perspire
- Stumble
Spangram
The spangram names the theme and runs from one side of the board to the opposite side.
Spangram letter count
The spangram has 10 letters.
First and last spangram letters
The spangram starts with F and ends with E.
Today’s spangram
FALL IN LOVE
FALL IN LOVE means developing romantic feelings for someone. The theme words describe nervous or excited reactions that can come with a crush.
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 7 on the board
Babble
Word 2 of 7 on the board
Blush
Word 3 of 7 on the board
Fidget
Word 4 of 7 on the board
Giggle
Word 5 of 7 on the board
Perspire
Word 6 of 7 on the board
Stumble
Word 7 of 7 on the board
FALL IN LOVE
Yesterday’s Strands answer for 16 October 2026
Yesterday’s theme was “Just a little bit”. The theme words were Amoeba, Atom, Follicle, Mite, Molecule and Pinpoint, and the spangram was SMALLWORLD.
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: 16 Oct · 15 Oct · 14 Oct · 13 Oct · 12 Oct · 11 Oct · 10 Oct
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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