NYT Strands Hints and Answers for January 31, 2026 (#699)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of January 31, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of January 31, 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 31, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
It's part of the game
Start from the clue “It's part of the game”. Once you see what the 7 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are B, B, F, P, P, R, V. Several share a starting letter (B, P).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6 and 7 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 7.
SpangramThe spangram
HAVEABALL
It is a single word of 9 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with H, ends with L.
AnswersAll theme words
- BASE4 letters
- FOOT4 letters
- BASKET6 letters
- PADDLE6 letters
- PICKLE6 letters
- VOLLEY6 letters
- RACQUET7 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.