Today's Strands Answer: Hints & Solution for May 11, 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 "A nice medley." It's a playful hint suggesting that the words you're looking for have a certain ring or rhythm, and this makes them pleasant to say. In this case, the words can also be used to describe a mess or a confused assortment of items. Meanwhile, the Spangram is a three-word phrase used to describe miscellaneous items or leftovers of various kinds.

The New York Times has rated today's puzzle (number 799) as moderate.

Hint Words

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

• Stop
• Gist
• Shame
• Ties
• Rave
• Shim
• Dims
• Slum
• Page
• Dodge
• Mash
• Rays
• Sham
• Dose
• Same

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 Odds And Ends. You can find it zig-zagging around the lower half of the grid.

Today's Theme Words for Strands

Today's theme words for Strands on May 11th are:

• Hodgepodge
• Jumble
• Mishmash
• Odds And Ends
• Ragbag
• Variety

The next Strands puzzle, number 800, will be available at midnight local time.