Strands Hints for October 25, 2026
· No. 966
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
Picture a new house going up. Today's clue points to the things that hold a building up and give it shape, long before the walls and paint go on.
Hint 2 · The spangram
It's what gets laid in the ground first, before anything else can go up. It is one word, 11 letters, in the plural, and it runs from the left edge to the right.
Hint 3 · Theme words
Each word is something that supports a building or gives it shape. The longest is the temporary setup of poles and planks that workers stand on, and it comes down when the job is done. Another usually turns up in a science class or a Halloween display, but builders use it for the bare steel outline of a tall building too.
Hint 4 · First letters
The four theme words start with F, S, S and S. The spangram starts with F, has 11 letters and runs from the left edge to the right edge.
Show today’s answer
- Spangram: FOUNDATIONS
- SKELETON
- SCAFFOLDING
- FRAMEWORK
- STRUCTURE
SCAFFOLDING is the longest theme word at 11 letters and takes careful tracing. SKELETON is easy to miss because most of us think of bones before buildings.
Today’s hints for other games
- Wordle3 hints, gentle to generous
- ConnectionsOne hint per group, groups in order
- Contexto4 hints to the secret word
- PipsEasy, Medium and Hard, one domino at a time
- LA Times CrosswordEvery clue: first letter, then the answer
- Newsday CrosswordEvery clue: first letter, then the answer
- Washington Post CrosswordThe Post's daily is the LA Times puzzle
- JumbleThe four words, then the riddle
- CryptoquipA few letters, the first words, then the quip
- 7 Little WordsEvery clue: first letter, then the answer
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.