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← August 2026

NYT Strands — Monday, August 17, 2026

Clue: "On a bender"

The board

B
O
D
B
O
W
N
E
Y
L
N
K
T
C
J
E
A
L
S
K
O
I
N
E
I
R
W
R
T
S
E
N
K
E
K
N
L
U
L
D
S
E
K
C
U
O
H
E

Results (0)

Hint mode hides answers behind their first two letters. Hint reveals one full word at a time (spangrams first) and lights up its path on the board.

    Theme explainer

    Theme for Monday, August 17, 2026: "On a bender"

    The NYT Strands puzzle for Monday, August 17, 2026 is built around the clue "On a bender". Every theme answer hidden in the 6×8 grid connects back to that idea, so once you spot the pattern the rest of the board tends to fall quickly. There are 7 theme words to find, plus the spangram — the single answer that stretches all the way across the board and names the theme outright.

    Stuck? Start by scanning for longer letter runs that fit the clue's subject, and remember Strands words can bend in any direction, including diagonally. If the clue feels abstract, try naming synonyms out loud — Strands themes are usually a set of near-synonyms, examples of a category, or phrases that share a common word. This puzzle was edited by Tracy Bennett.

    Hidden by default so you can keep solving. Click to see the spangram and every theme word for this puzzle.