Theme for Sunday, August 30, 2026: "Hardly eager"
The NYT Strands puzzle for Sunday, August 30, 2026 is built around the clue "Hardly eager". 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 5 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.
