NYT Strands Hints and Answers for October 17, 2026 (#958)
Spoiler-safe hints for the NYT Strands puzzle of October 17, 2026: the theme clue first, then first letters, word lengths, the spangram, and the full grid.
Stuck on the Strands puzzle of October 17, 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 October 17, 2026, one rung at a time
ThemeToday’s theme
Quite the crush
The puzzle calls today’s theme “Quite the crush”. Read it loosely: the 6 answers are examples of it, not synonyms for it.
Hint 1A gentle clue
All 6 answers are examples of the theme, not synonyms for it — think of things you would actually meet, not words that mean the same. The spangram runs across the grid, left edge to right, so look for a long sideways path first.
Hint 2First letters
Sorted alphabetically, the first letters are B, B, F, G, P, S. Two of them start with the same letter (B).
Hint 3Word lengths
The theme words are 5, 6, 6, 6, 7 and 8 letters long. The shortest is 5 letters, the longest 8.
SpangramThe spangram
FALLINLOVE
It is a single word of 10 letters and it touches two opposite sides of the board.
Starts with F, ends with E.
AnswersAll theme words
- BLUSH5 letters
- BABBLE6 letters
- FIDGET6 letters
- GIGGLE6 letters
- STUMBLE7 letters
- PERSPIRE8 letters
BoardThe completed grid
Theme wordSpangramEach line follows one word; the small number is that letter’s place in it.