Theme

Gift of the month

Look for words related to

Gemstones traditionally assigned to individual calendar months, often worn as meaningful jewelry or talismans 💎

Spangram Hint

Runs left to right

Spangram clue

What collective term names a month-linked gem associated with someone’s arrival?

First letter shown — tap each tile or show the full spangram below

Clue Words

#773 - Wednesday, April 15th, 2026

Still stuck? These board words can earn you in-game hint tokens:

  • AIDE
  • BIND
  • DAME
  • EARN
  • GAME
  • HUES
  • HURT
  • IRON
  • ITEM
  • LIME
  • LIMO
  • LION
SPOILER
Answers Below

Strands Answers

#773 - Wednesday, April 15th, 2026

Lighter circles mark where each word starts · tap a word to trace it
Spangram
Theme words
  • Diamond is a traditional birthstone for April.

  • Garnet is the traditional birthstone for January.

  • Opal is a traditional birthstone for October.

  • Peridot is the traditional birthstone for August.

  • Topaz is a traditional birthstone for November.

  • Turquoise is a traditional birthstone for December.

How Hard Is This Strands?

#773 - Wednesday, April 15th, 2026

Easy
Medium
Tricky
Hard

The theme is straightforward, though several birthstones may require recalling their associated months.

Updated Aug 7, 2026, 9:55 PM EDT

Stuck on NYT Strands from April 15, 2026? You'll find help here without wrecking the puzzle. Below are spoiler-free hints for Strands #773, laid out so you can take just the nudge you need and get back to the board: the theme clue first, then a hint toward the spangram, then the first letters of each theme word. If the hints aren't enough, the full answers — spangram included — are waiting at the very bottom behind a reveal, so you'll only see them when you choose to.

The Strands theme for April 15, 2026

Every Strands puzzle hangs on a single theme, and knowing what to look for is usually the breakthrough. The theme for April 15, 2026 is:

“Gift of the month”

Still not clicking? Here's a gentler nudge in plain language: Gemstones traditionally assigned to individual calendar months, often worn as meaningful jewelry or talismans 💎. Keep that idea in mind as you scan the board — once you know the category, the hidden words start jumping out.

The Strands spangram hint for April 15, 2026

The spangram is the star of every Strands puzzle: a theme word or phrase that stretches from one side of the board to the opposite side and sums up the whole theme. Find it and the rest of the grid tends to fall into place.

The spangram hint: What collective term names a month-linked gem associated with someone’s arrival? — it's ten letters long and touches the left and right edges of the board.

Want to confirm it? Reveal the spangram in the section above — the word itself stays hidden until you tap each letter or choose “Show Spangram.”

Hints for the theme words on April 15, 2026

Sometimes you just need to know where to start. Here are the first letters and lengths of the theme words for April 15, 2026, without spelling them out:

Theme wordStarts withLength
1D7 letters
2G6 letters
3O4 letters
4P7 letters
5T5 letters
6T9 letters

Clue words to earn in-game hints

Here's a Strands-specific trick most players miss. You don't have to find theme words to get help — the game hands you a hint for every three non-theme words of four or more letters you spot on the board.

  • AIDE
  • BIND
  • DAME
  • EARN
  • GAME
  • HUES
  • HURT
  • IRON
  • ITEM
  • LIME
  • LIMO
  • LION

Strands answers for April 15, 2026

Spoiler warning: everything below reveals the April 15, 2026 solution, including the spangram. Only read on if you're ready.

The theme words for Strands #773 (April 15, 2026) are listed in the Strands Answers section above, traced on the board so you can see exactly where each word sits. Tap a word to follow its path, or browse the full list when you're ready — the spangram is BIRTHSTONE.

Theme words & why they fit

WordWhy it fits
DIAMONDDiamond is a traditional birthstone for April.
GARNETGarnet is the traditional birthstone for January.
OPALOpal is a traditional birthstone for October.
PERIDOTPeridot is the traditional birthstone for August.
TOPAZTopaz is a traditional birthstone for November.
TURQUOISETurquoise is a traditional birthstone for December.

Difficulty: Medium (Easy to Hard). The theme is straightforward, though several birthstones may require recalling their associated months.

Yesterday’s Strands answers

Reading a little late, or comparing notes across time zones? Yesterday’s theme was “It's a little unclear” (Strands #772), the spangram was OUTOFFOCUS, and the theme words were BEDIMMED, BLURRY, CLOUDY, FADED, HAZY, MUTED, SOFT. For earlier puzzles, use the date picker above to jump to any past day's Strands hint & answers.

What is Strands and how do you play?

NYT Strands puzzle on a phone — theme words highlighted in blue and the spangram in yellow

Strands is the New York Times' word-search puzzle, a twist on Spelling Bee, Connections, and the classic crossword. Each day you get a 6×8 board of 48 letters and a theme. Your job is to find every theme word — they're highlighted in blue as you trace them and never overlap — until all 48 letters are used.

  • The spangram is a special theme word or phrase that touches two opposite sides of the board and captures the theme. It's highlighted in yellow when found, and it can be two words joined together.
  • Earning hints: stuck? Find any non-theme word of four or more letters. For every three you find, Strands reveals the letters of one theme word — which is exactly what the clue-words tip above is for.
  • No guessing penalty: there's no limit on wrong tries, so Strands rewards patient scanning over speed. Work out the theme first, hunt the spangram, and the rest usually follows.

Prefer to keep solving on your own steam? Use the hints above one at a time and only reveal the answers if you're truly stuck. Looking for today's puzzle? See Strands Hint Today.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Strands hint for Strands #773?

The theme clue for Strands #773 is at the top of this page, followed by a spangram hint and first-letter clues for each theme word. Each is spoiler-free, so you only see as much help as you want.

What is the Strands spangram for Strands #773?

The spangram hint is above; the spangram itself — BIRTHSTONE — is revealed behind a spoiler tap so it won't spoil the puzzle by accident.

How do you earn hints in Strands?

Find any non-theme word of four or more letters on the board. For every three you find, the game highlights the letters of one theme word. Scan the grid for short valid words when you need a nudge without looking up the answer.

What time does Strands update?

NYT releases a new Strands puzzle at midnight in your timezone. This page rolls to the next day's hints and answers for everyone at midnight Eastern.

Where can I find past Strands answers?

Yesterday’s solution is above, and you can open any earlier day with the date picker — each date has its own Strands hint & answers page.

Strands is published by The New York Times; WordHint is an independent site and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the publisher.