Strands Hints for October 23, 2026
· No. 964
Four hints, from what the theme means to the first letter of every word. Open only as many as you need — the words stay hidden until you tap for them.
Hint 1 · The theme
Today's clue is the old brush-off you give when someone asks about things that are none of their concern. The theme is the kind of person who just has to know everyone else's business.
Hint 2 · The spangram
It's one word, eight letters long, and it runs from the left edge to the right. It names a meddler, and it's made of two short words joined together: one means having a lot on your plate, and the other is what you see in a full-length mirror.
Hint 3 · Theme words
The other five words all describe a person who can't mind their own affairs, or what that person gets up to. The longest one is about listening in on a talk you weren't meant to hear, and it starts with part of a roof. Another is a more formal word for curious, and it begins with the letter that is almost always followed by U.
Hint 4 · First letters
The five theme words start with E, I, N, P and S. The spangram starts with B, has 8 letters and runs from the left edge to the right edge.
Show today’s answer
- Spangram: BUSYBODY
- EAVESDROPPING
- NOSY
- INQUISITIVE
- PRYING
- SNOOPY
EAVESDROPPING, at 13 letters, is the longest word on the board and the easiest to lose track of partway through. The word comes from people standing under a house's eaves, where the rainwater dripped, to overhear what was said inside.
Today’s hints for other games
Strands hints, day by day
How our Strands hints work
Hint 1 explains the clue
Strands clues are short and sly. We say in plain words what today's clue is getting at.
Hint 2 points at the spangram
The long word that crosses the board. Find it, and the rest of the board gets much smaller.
Hints 3 and 4 get specific
What the theme words have in common, then the first letter of each one. That's usually enough to finish.