The January 17, 2026, NYT Strands puzzle uses the theme “That’s putting it mildly!” Its reported spangram is FOILEDAGAIN. If you want a gradual nudge before seeing the full board, start with the theme clue, then use the opening-letter pairs below.
Today’s Strands hint
“That’s putting it mildly!” points to mild or humorous expressions of frustration. Forbes offers “Looney Tune exultations” as an additional nudge; Parade describes the words as “PG-rated interjections.”
Progressive hints
Use these in order to avoid revealing more than you want:
- Theme: “That’s putting it mildly!”
- Opening pairs for the theme words: TA, PH, CU, FI, DR.
- Opening pair for the spangram: FO.
Today’s Strands answers
The reported spangram is FOILEDAGAIN. The remaining theme words are:
- TARNATION
- PHOOEY
- CURSES
- FIDDLESTICKS
- DRAT
Forbes and TechRadar report DRAT; Parade lists DRATS instead. The accessible reports do not establish which spelling appears in the official answer record.
How Strands works
According to Forbes’ 2026 guide, the board is a six-by-eight letter grid. Find the theme words by connecting letters on the board; found theme words remain highlighted in blue. A spangram is a special word or phrase that describes the theme and links opposite sides of the grid; it is highlighted in yellow. Parade reports that finding non-theme words earns an in-game hint for every three such words.
These mechanics are described by secondary guides. The official NYT rules page was inaccessible to the reporting sources, so official rules and subscription details are not verified here.
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