The New York Times Strands puzzle for Thursday, September 17, 2026, is here with Game #928. Today’s challenge follows the theme “A little comic relief” and asks players to uncover words connected to long-running newspaper comic strips.
How NYT Strands Works
NYT Strands is a word-search puzzle played on a 6×8 letter grid. Players connect letters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to find words associated with the daily theme. The spangram is the key phrase that captures the puzzle’s overall theme and stretches across the board, touching opposite edges. You can also find unrelated four-letter-or-longer words to earn hints; three such words reveal a hint highlighting letters from a theme answer.
Today’s Theme and Hints
The official theme for September 17 is “A little comic relief”. This points to familiar newspaper comic strips featuring recurring characters and everyday humor. Think about:
- Domestic life and marriage
- Pets and their human companions
- Childhood and adolescence
- Offbeat and surreal satire
Spangram Hint
Still searching for the longest answer? Today’s spangram runs left to right across the board and contains 13 letters. It begins in the first row and starts at the first letter. A gentler clue points toward the traditional newspaper section where sequential artwork and punch lines appear.
Spangram Answer
The September 17, 2026 spangram is: THE FUNNY PAGES. This phrase refers to the familiar newspaper section associated with comic strips and ties together all six theme answers.
Full Answers for NYT Strands #928
The complete answer list for today’s puzzle includes:
- BLONDIE – Centered on Dagwood Bumstead and his family
- MUTTS – Features Mooch and Earl
- PEANUTS – Known for Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and friends
- PICKLES – A comic strip about an elderly couple
- ZIPPY – Bill Griffith’s surreal comic strip
- ZITS – Focuses on teenage life
- THE FUNNY PAGES – Spangram
Each answer is the title of a newspaper comic strip, covering different forms of humor and recurring characters.
Why Today’s Puzzle May Take Some Time
Some answers can be deceptive because they also work as ordinary words. ZIPPY, for example, may initially look like a regular adjective rather than the title of a surreal comic strip. The other answers become easier to recognize once the newspaper-comic theme is clear.
Final Thoughts
NYT Strands continues to offer a different theme each day. Today’s “A little comic relief” theme brings together six familiar comic-strip titles under THE FUNNY PAGES. For players stuck on Strands #928, identifying the spangram first can make the remaining answers considerably easier to spot.