NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 13, 2026 (#681)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of January 13, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of January 13, 2026? Start with the theme, take one rung at a time, and stop as soon as the grid opens up. Nothing below is revealed until you tap it.
Hints for January 13, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
You need to chill
Start from the clue “You need to chill”. Once you see what the 5 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are P, P, S, V, W. Two of them start with the same letter (P).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 5, 7, 7, 9 and 10 letters long. The shortest is 5 letters, the longest 10.
SpangramThe spangram
FROZENFOOD
It is a single word of 10 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with F, ends with D.
AnswersAll theme words
- PIZZA5 letters
- SHERBET7 letters
- WAFFLES7 letters
- POPSICLES9 letters
- VEGETABLES10 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.