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The April 3, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle is Strands #761, themed “Smooth(ie) operator.” Its spangram is TROPICALFRUIT, and the six theme words are ACAI, GUAVA, LYCHEE, MANGO, PAPAYA and PINEAPPLE. If you meant April 3, 2025, that was a different puzzle; its answers appear below.
Hints for Strands #761 (April 3, 2026)
Use these clues in order if you want help without immediately revealing the grid.
- Theme hint: Think of ingredients commonly blended into a bright, fruit-based drink.
- Spangram hint: The long word names the broad fruit category connecting every answer.
- Word hints:
- A small, dark purple berry often served in smoothie bowls.
- A green or pink tropical fruit with a distinctive aroma.
- A fragrant fruit with translucent flesh and a rough, red shell.
- A soft, sweet stone fruit often called the king of tropical fruit.
- A pear-shaped fruit with orange flesh and black seeds.
- A spiky-skinned fruit with a sweet-tart yellow center.
Spoiler: the April 3, 2026 answers
Stop here if you only wanted hints.
- Spangram: TROPICALFRUIT
- Theme words: ACAI, GUAVA, LYCHEE, MANGO, PAPAYA and PINEAPPLE
How the Strands hint system works
Strands is a themed word-search puzzle. The spangram identifies the theme and runs from one side of the grid to the opposite side. A published guide describes an in-game hint becoming available after you find three unrelated words of at least four letters. That gameplay explanation comes from a secondary guide; the live NYT rules page was not independently checked for this article.
If you meant April 3, 2025
April 3 is not tied to one permanent puzzle because Strands publishes a new grid each day. The 2025 edition was Strands #396, with the theme “Get the bug”.
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- Spangram: ENTOMOLOGY
- Theme words: ASSASSIN, DOODLE, LADY, LIGHTNING, POTATO and STINK
Why the year matters
Answer pages often omit the year in their headlines, but April 3, 2025 and April 3, 2026 have completely different themes and word sets. Check the puzzle number or publication date before using an answer list.
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