The NYT Strands answer for Monday, August 10, 2026 (puzzle #890) is PROOF POSITIVE. The theme is “Back it up,” and the five-strand words are DATA, FACTS, FIGURES, STATISTICS, and SPECIFICS.
NYT Strands Hints for August 10 (No Spoilers)
Three hints for solvers still working through the board before the spangram and full solution below.
- Hint 1: The theme is about providing evidence or supporting a claim.
- Hint 2: Every strand word is a type of information you might cite to prove a point.
- Hint 3: The spangram is a two-word phrase that means conclusive or irrefutable evidence.
NYT Strands Answer for August 10, 2026
Theme: “Back it up”
Spangram: PROOF POSITIVE
Strand words: DATA, FACTS, FIGURES, SPECIFICS, STATISTICS
Theme and Word Notes
PROOF POSITIVE is a phrase meaning evidence so clear and complete that it leaves no room for doubt. As today’s spangram, it stretches across the full grid, its thirteen letters threading from one edge to the other. The theme “Back it up” applies equally to the spangram and to each of its five companion words: you back up a claim with DATA, FACTS, FIGURES, SPECIFICS, or STATISTICS, and you seal the argument with proof positive.
The five strand words cover the vocabulary of evidence at different levels of precision. DATA is the broadest term, referring to any raw information before it has been processed or interpreted. FACTS are verified truths, specific, discrete, and accepted. FIGURES narrows further to numerical data, the kind that appears in reports and presentations. STATISTICS takes that further still, implying that the numbers have been collected, organised, and analysed. SPECIFICS is the outlier in register: less quantitative than the others, it refers to particular details rather than numbers, the specifics of the case rather than the data behind it.
Solvers who encountered POSITIVE or SPECIFIC as apparent standalone words early in the board were likely misled by the spangram hiding in plain sight, which is a classic Strands misdirection. Once PROOF POSITIVE locked into place, the remaining five strand words follow a straightforward semantic field.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands #889 answer was I’M WORTH IT, themed “Isn’t that a bit much?” Full details are in NYT Strands hints and answer coverage today.
Related Posts
