NYT Strands for 31 October 2026 has the theme “It’s in the bag”. There are six theme words and one spangram to find.
31 October 2026 NYT Strands #972 Theme: “It’s in the bag”
The board has 8 rows and 6 columns, and every letter belongs to one of the six theme words or the spangram.
31 October 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 things collected in a bag on a particular holiday.
Hint 2 · small holiday handouts
Look for edible goodies and small objects given to costumed visitors.
Hint 3 · first letters
The theme words start with A, C, F, R, S and T.
Hint 4 · spangram route
The spangram starts on the left edge of the board and ends on the right edge.
Hint 5 · spangram shape and meaning
The spangram has three words, with letter counts of 5, 2 and 5. It means the customary Halloween request for goodies at someone’s door.
Three words that earn a hint
These three words are valid on today’s board and are not theme words: BOTH, PLACE and CITY. Entering three such words earns one hint in the game.
31 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 AP, CA, FA, RI, ST and TO.
Today’s six theme words
- Apple
- Candy
- Fangs
- Ring
- Sticker
- Toothbrush
Spangram
The spangram names the theme and runs from one side of the board to the opposite side.
Spangram letter count
The spangram has 12 letters.
First and last spangram letters
The spangram starts with T and ends with T.
Today’s spangram
TRICK OR TREAT
“Trick or treat” is the traditional Halloween request for goodies. The theme words name food and small objects that might end up in a child’s Halloween bag.
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
Apple
Word 2 of 7 on the board
Candy
Word 3 of 7 on the board
Fangs
Word 4 of 7 on the board
Ring
Word 5 of 7 on the board
Sticker
Word 6 of 7 on the board
Toothbrush
Word 7 of 7 on the board
TRICK OR TREAT
Yesterday’s Strands answer for 30 October 2026
Yesterday’s theme was “All charged up”. The theme words were Current, Electricity, Energy, Juice, Power and Spark, and the spangram was PLUGGEDIN.
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: 30 Oct · 29 Oct · 28 Oct · 27 Oct · 26 Oct · 25 Oct · 24 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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