Welcome to our daily guide for the New York Times Strands puzzle. Today’s challenge revolves around a beauty and cosmetics theme—specifically, items you might apply to your lips. If you’re stuck, think of products like lip balm, gloss, stain, and similar cosmetics. Below, we provide hints, reveal the Spangram, and list all the answers for July 9, 2026.
What Is NYT Strands and How to Play It
NYT Strands is a captivating daily word puzzle that blends elements of the NYT Crossword, Connections, and Spelling Bee. Players are presented with a 6×8 grid of letters and a daily theme as a hint. The goal is to find theme words and one special word—the Spangram—that stretches across the grid, connecting two opposite sides. The Spangram can change direction as it winds through adjacent letters, making it a defining feature of the puzzle.
Hints for Today’s Puzzle
Here are some words that can serve as hints to help you find the answers: Kiss, Tick, Slat, Slog, Slogs, Dogs, Mads, Sand, Sands. Focus on items that go on the lips, such as balm, gloss, liner, stain, tint, and plumper.
Spangram Reveal and Explanation
Today’s Spangram is KISSANDMAKEUP. To find it, start with the letter K that is five cells down on the far-left column, and then weave across the grid. The shape may resemble a pair of lips—or that’s just our imagination after staring at the puzzle for too long. The phrase “kiss and make up” is a popular idiom meaning to reconcile after a disagreement, which ties perfectly with the cosmetic theme.
NYT Strands Answers for July 9, 2026
Below are all the non-Spangram answers for today’s puzzle:
- Stick
- Stain
- Balm
- Tint
- Gloss
- Liner
- Plumper
Understanding the Theme: “On the Lips”
Today’s theme, “On the Lips,” refers directly to lip cosmetics such as balm, gloss, liner, stain, tint, and plumper. The phrase also hints at something that is the topic of eager conversation or a pressing question everyone wants answered.
Tips for Solving NYT Strands
To solve puzzles more quickly, start by identifying the theme and brainstorming related words. For today, think about cosmetics for the lips. Another useful tip is to look for long words that stretch across the edges of the grid, as they often form the Spangram. Practice and pattern recognition will make you faster over time.