NYT Strands puzzle #925 for September 14, 2026, challenges players with a theme centered on shock and surprise. The puzzle’s theme is “OH MY GOSH!!” and all six themed words describe involuntary reactions to startling events. The spangram “THATSSHOCKING” ties the board together. Below, we provide the full answer list, clue words, and hints to help you solve today’s Strands.
Today’s Strands Theme
The theme prompt “OH MY GOSH!!” sets the tone for the entire board. Solvers must identify words that describe instinctive responses to something shocking or unbelievable: a sudden exclamation, freezing in place, a sharp gasp, recoiling, shuddering, or starting in surprise.
Clue Words to Unlock Hints
Finding three valid four-letter words in the grid unlocks an in-game hint. The following words worked as clue triggers for puzzle #925:
- DUCK
- LICE
- SHUCK
- TART
- DAZE
- FRESH
None of these are part of the theme; they only serve as bridges to the hint system.
Spangram Clues Before the Reveal
The spangram runs left to right across the board, spanning thirteen letters and starting in the top row. A gentle hint: a familiar reaction to an astonishing revelation. A stronger hint: a full sentence someone might blurt out after hearing shocking news. The final push: the first letter is T and the last letter is G.
Spoiler Warning: Today’s Strands Answers
The spangram for September 14, 2026, is THATSSHOCKING.
The remaining themed words are:
- EXCLAIM
- FREEZE
- GASP
- RECOIL
- SHUDDER
- START
Each word captures a different physical or verbal reaction to surprise: a sudden burst of speech, locking into stillness, a sharp breath, an instinctive pull away, an involuntary tremble, or a sudden jerk.
How NYT Strands Works
Strands hides themed words inside a rectangular letter grid (usually six rows by eight columns). Letters connect in any direction, including diagonals, and each word can twist and turn. Every letter in the grid is used exactly once by the time the puzzle is solved. The spangram touches two opposite sides of the board and captures the day’s theme in one continuous word or phrase. Non-theme words still count toward unlocking hints: typing any four-letter-or-longer word that exists in the grid contributes to the hint counter.
Yesterday’s Strands Recap
Sunday, September 13, carried the theme “Undercover,” with OPERATIVE among the answers and UNDERCOVER as the spangram. That board leaned on espionage-related vocabulary, a sharp contrast to the reaction-based theme that followed on September 14.
More NYT Games for the Daily Streak
Strands rarely stands alone in a daily routine. Many solvers move straight from Strands into Wordle, then Connections, followed by Connections: Sports Edition and the Mini Crossword. Each game tests a different skill, from pattern recognition to categorization to speed-solving short clues. A new Strands board arrives every day with a fresh theme, a new spangram, and another set of hidden words waiting inside the grid.
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