NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 20, 2026 (#688)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of January 20, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of January 20, 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 20, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Sneak-ing around
The puzzle calls today’s theme “Sneak-ing around”. Read it loosely: the 7 answers are examples of it, not synonyms for it.
Hint 2First letters
The theme words begin with E, H, L, S, S, T, V. Two of them start with the same letter (S).
Hint 3Word lengths
By length, the answers run 4, 4, 4, 4, 6, 6 and 8. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 8.
SpangramThe spangram
JUSTFORKICKS
12 letters, a single word, running from one edge of the grid to the opposite edge.
Starts with J, ends with S.
AnswersAll theme words
- HEEL4 letters
- LOGO4 letters
- SOLE4 letters
- VAMP4 letters
- EYELET6 letters
- TONGUE6 letters
- SHOELACE8 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.