Today's NYT Strands answers, clues, and hints on October 12 (puzzle #953)
This article provides a guide and hints for the New York Times 'Strands' puzzle for October 12, 2026. It explains the mechanics of the game and offers tips for solving the daily word search challenge.
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The goal is to find a selection of hidden words related to a broader theme within a 48-letter grid (6×8). Unlike a traditional word search puzzle, you can string together adjacent letters in any direction, and the goal is to complete the entire board. In addition to the theme words, there’s also the “spangram”: a word that describes today’s theme and touches two opposite sides of the grid (it can also be multiple words). You’ll know it’s the spangram, as it’s highlighted in yellow once found.
The theme for today’s Strands is “In a manner of speaking” . NYT rates the difficulty of today’s puzzle (#953) as “moderate”.
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