The Sunday, October 26, 2025 NYT Strands puzzle is themed “Fall-ing.” The gentlest hint is “Leaf-changing staples”; the spangram is six letters and begins with A. Spoilers, including all six theme words, appear below the reveal boundary.
Hints for the October 26, 2025 Strands puzzle
- Theme: “Fall-ing.”
- Broad nudge: “Leaf-changing staples.”
- Spangram clue: It has six letters and starts with A.
- Word count: There are six theme words besides the spangram.
To solve without seeing the answers, brainstorm things associated with fall, then scan the board’s edges for a word that can connect opposite sides. Try longer, distinctive patterns before shorter words. Strands uses a 6-by-8 letter grid; the theme words and spangram use its letters once. Wikipedia’s overview of Strands describes the general gameplay.
Spoilers: spangram and answers
Spangram: AUTUMN
The six theme words listed by the puzzle-specific archive are:
- CORN
- FOLIAGE
- FOOTBALL
- HARVEST
- ORCHARDS
- PUMPKINS
There is a minor source discrepancy on the final word: the puzzle-specific Strands Unlimited answer archive gives PUMPKINS, while Forbes lists the singular PUMPKIN. The other five theme words and AUTUMN match. Forbes’s October 25 guide addresses the October 26 puzzle.
