NYT Strands for Saturday, January 31, 2026, is game #699. The theme clue is “It’s part of the game.” Start with the hints below, then open the clearly marked spoilers for the spangram and all seven theme words.
Theme hint for January 31
Theme clue: “It’s part of the game.”
Extra nudge: Think like an athlete. The answers are connected to ball-related sports and games.
Need a little more help?
These suggested words can help you earn an in-game hint: RACK, PILE, VOTES, LOVE, HAVE, and CLEAR. In Strands, finding three valid words that are not theme answers unlocks a hint highlighting the location of one theme word.
Spoiler: January 31 spangram
HAVE A BALL is the spangram. It has nine letters, ignoring spaces, and runs horizontally from the left edge to the right edge at row five, according to TechRadar.
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Spoiler: all January 31 Strands answers
- BASE
- BASKET
- PADDLE
- FOOT
- PICKLE
- RACQUET
- VOLLEY
Together, the words evoke baseball, basketball, football, pickleball, racquet sports, and volleyball. The puzzle’s spangram ties those theme answers together.
How Strands hints work
Strands is played on a 6-by-8 letter grid. Connect adjacent letters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to form words; you can change direction as you trace a word. The spangram describes the theme and touches opposite sides of the board. Three valid non-theme words unlock a hint that shows where one theme answer is located. Forbes describes playing through the NYT website and NYT Games app; its January 30, 2026 answer guide also lists this puzzle’s theme and solutions: Forbes. Strands.Game offers a third-party explanation of the grid and hint mechanics and states that it is not affiliated with The New York Times.
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Why the year matters
This answer set is for January 31, 2026, game #699. There is also a separate Strands puzzle dated January 31, 2025, so the date alone is ambiguous. TechRadar and Forbes both identify the 2026 puzzle and agree on its theme and answers.
Quick Recap
Best Value
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