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NYT Strands game #949, dated October 8, 2026, has the theme “A star is born.” Start with the hints below and stop before the answer section if you want to solve it yourself. The spangram and all six theme words are revealed at the end.

Hints for NYT Strands #949

Hint 1: The theme

The theme is “A star is born.”

Hint 2: Words to unlock an in-game hint

TechRadar lists these words to try: MACE, CREATE, MINCE, BRAIL, CLUE, WINNER, and TUNA. They are helper words, not answers in the themed set. Finding three valid non-theme words unlocks an in-game hint.

# Preview Product Price
1 Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books) Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books) $26.10 Buy on Amazon
2 The New York Times Strictly Medium Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: 200 Medium Puzzles The New York Times Strictly Medium Crossword Puzzles Volume 1: 200 Medium Puzzles $7.75 Buy on Amazon
3 The New York Times A Puzzle a Day: 365 Crossword Puzzles for a Year of Fun The New York Times A Puzzle a Day: 365 Crossword Puzzles for a Year of Fun $12.00 Buy on Amazon
4 The New York Times Greatest Hits of Monday Crossword Puzzles: 100 Easy Puzzles The New York Times Greatest Hits of Monday Crossword Puzzles: 100 Easy Puzzles $6.99 Buy on Amazon
5 The New York Times Mega Book of Sunday Crosswords: 500 Puzzles The New York Times Mega Book of Sunday Crosswords: 500 Puzzles $15.41 Buy on Amazon

Hint 3: The spangram

The spangram has eight letters. It crosses the board from the left edge to the right edge, beginning and ending at row five, according to TechRadar.

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Answers for NYT Strands game #949

Spoilers ahead: The spangram is LUMINARY. The six theme words are FAME, CELEBRITY, REPUTE, ACCLAIM, RENOWN, and EMINENCE. TechRadar and Walkthroughs.net independently report this answer set for the October 8 puzzle. TechRadar’s #949 hints and answers and Walkthroughs.net’s Strands answers provide the dated guides; the reviewed sources do not include an official NYT answer record.

#1 Best Overall
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Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
Puzzle Mania!: Wordle, Connections, Spelling Bee, Minis and More! (New York Times Games Books)
$26.10
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How Strands works

Strands is a daily word-search puzzle played on a 6-by-8 letter board. Words follow connected letters and can bend; letters connect vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each puzzle has a spangram that touches two opposite sides of the board and summarizes the theme. Three valid words that are not theme answers unlock an in-game hint. These general mechanics are described by Walkthroughs.net and a 2026 LIPIcs research paper; the paper’s illustrated example is from a different puzzle, not game #949.

Quick Recap

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$26.10
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Rank #4
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Rank #3
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$12.00
Buy on Amazon
Rank #2
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$7.75
Buy on Amazon

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