NYT Strands Hints and Answers for May 2, 2026 (#790)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of May 2, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of May 2, 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 May 2, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
All the right moves
Start from the clue “All the right moves”. Once you see what the 7 theme words have in common, the grid opens up quickly.
Hint 1A gentle clue
Read the clue loosely. The 7 answers sit inside that idea; none of them is a definition of it. The spangram runs down the grid, top edge to bottom, so look for a long vertical path first.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are C, K, P, S, S, S, W. Two of them start with the same letter (S).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 7 and 7 letters long. The shortest is 4 letters, the longest 7.
SpangramThe spangram
LINEDANCE
It is a single word of 9 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with L, ends with E.
AnswersAll theme words
- KICK4 letters
- PONY4 letters
- SCUFF5 letters
- SAILOR6 letters
- WIZARD6 letters
- COASTER7 letters
- SHUFFLE7 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.