AAH7!
August 30, 2026#910archive

NYT Strands — August 30, 2026

Looking for today's NYT Strands? →

Hints — one at a time

Hint 1 of 5

Today's grid is full of ways to say you're not exactly thrilled about doing something.

Hint 2 of 5

Every non-spangram word describes a feeling of not wanting to do something.

Hint 3 of 5

One entry means having a strong distaste or opposition to something; another describes hanging back or pausing before committing to an action.

Hint 4 of 5

The spangram is the phrase you'd say when someone asks you to do something you'd rather skip.

Hint 5 of 5

Look for AVERSE, HESITANT, LOATH, RELUCTANT and UNWILLING, all spanned by IDRATHERNOT.

The answer — spoilers!

Reveal the full answer

Theme

Hardly eager

Spangram

IDRATHERNOT

Theme words

AVERSE · HESITANT · LOATH · RELUCTANT · UNWILLING

This puzzle by the numbers

Spangram length
11 letters
Theme words to find
5

Counted from our own archive of NYT Strands answers — not published anywhere else.

A tall Strands-style board six tiles wide, mostly blank, with two highlighted rows: a pink one spelling FLOWER right across the board and a shorter amber one spelling ROSE
On the Strands board the theme word and the shorter answers are traced straight through the letters. Example board, not today’s puzzle.