NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 30, 2026 (#698)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of January 30, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of January 30, 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 30, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
We're not lost ...
Start from the clue “We're not lost ...”. Once you see what the 6 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are A, B, C, L, S, S. Two of them start with the same letter (S).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 5, 6, 7, 7 and 8 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 8.
SpangramThe spangram
FINDYOURWAY
It is a single word of 11 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with F, ends with Y.
AnswersAll theme words
- STAR4 letters
- ATLAS5 letters
- BEACON6 letters
- COMPASS7 letters
- SEXTANT7 letters
- LANDMARK8 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.