Today's Strands Answer: Hints & Solution for January 7, 2026

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might look simple at first glance, but don’t be fooled, as it’s full of sneaky connections and clever twists.

Strands is a daily game that puts your vocabulary, logic, and pattern recognition to the test. Each puzzle gives you a 6x8 grid of seemingly random letters, which hide a set of six words that are connected by a specific theme.

Your job is to find them all, along with the special 'Spangram', an additional word or phrase, that ties everything back together to the theme.

The game is straightforward in concept, but each day’s theme can range from obvious to cryptic. That's why it doesn't hurt to get a little help from time to time.

Hints for Today's Strands

The theme for today's Strands is 'Open Wide.' It's a phrase commonly heard at the dentist's office. With that in mind, the words you're looking for are terms that relate to the dentist and oral care in general. The Spangram is a phrase that describes the location where the dentist carries out their work.

The New York Times has rated today's puzzle, number 675, as easy in difficulty.

Hint Words

Here are a few words that can help contribute to getting a hint:

• Mist
• Ridden
• Coot
• Fine
• Rust
• Fill
• Office
• Fort
• Dentist
• Four
• Toot
• Dill
• Brush

Pro tip: If you've used a hint to outline a theme word and are unsure what it spells, you can press the hint button again to have the spelling shown to you.

We'll be showing the answers in the next section, so avoid it if you don't want to spoil the puzzle for yourself!

Today's Spangram for Strands

Today's Spangram is 'Dentist's Office.' It starts from the left-most side of the puzzle before ending on the same row it began on, but on the right-most side of the grid.

Today's Theme Words for Strands

Today's theme words for Strands on January 7th are:

• Dentist's Office
• Drill
• Floss
• Fluoride
• Mirror
• Toothbrush

The next Strands puzzle, number 676, will be available at midnight local time.