AAH7!
September 3, 2026#914archive

NYT Strands — September 3, 2026

Looking for today's NYT Strands? →

Hints — one at a time

Hint 1 of 5

Today's grid is full of gridiron terms you'd hear announced during a game.

Hint 2 of 5

Every non-spangram word is something tied to the sport played on a field with goalposts and end zones.

Hint 3 of 5

One entry means to tackle or charge forward with force; another is where fans gather to watch the action.

Hint 4 of 5

The spangram is the name of the sport itself, tying every other word together.

Hint 5 of 5

Look for DOWN, KICK, PASS, PLAY, RUSH, STADIUM, TACKLE and UPRIGHT, all spanned by FOOTBALL.

The answer — spoilers!

Reveal the full answer

Theme

Hike!

Spangram

FOOTBALL

Theme words

DOWN · KICK · PASS · PLAY · RUSH · STADIUM · TACKLE · UPRIGHT

This puzzle by the numbers

Spangram length
8 letters
Theme words to find
8

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.