NEW YORK – NYT Strands #936 for September 25, 2026 has six theme words tied together by a shared concept. The spangram is mostly horizontal. Here are all the hints and the full solution.
NYT Strands Theme – September 25, 2026
Today’s theme phrase is “1 × 1, etc.” The spangram that spans the board is SQUARENUMBER. All six theme words belong to the same category of outdoor play.
NYT Strands Hints for September 25, 2026
Hint 1: Every theme word is something you’d find in a backyard or a public playground.
Hint 2: The spangram is mostly horizontal and describes the shape of a classic play area or a specific kind of number.
Hint 3: There are six theme words plus the spangram – seven entries in total.
Hint 4: The first two letters of each theme word: PO, FO, SW, SA, TR, TR.
NYT Strands Answer for September 25, 2026
Spangram: SQUARENUMBER
The six theme words:
POOL
FORT
SWINGS
SANDBOX
TREEHOUSE
TRAMPOLINE
All six are classic features of a backyard or playground. TRAMPOLINE and TREEHOUSE are the longest entries and the likeliest sticking points – both are compound or multi-syllable words whose letter paths cover a wide stretch of the grid. SANDBOX and SWINGS both start with S, so solvers who found one may have initially confused the starting tiles of the other.
POOL and FORT are the shortest entries and typically fall into place once the playground theme is established. The spangram SQUARENUMBER threads mostly horizontally, which narrows the search once any confirmed theme word anchors your orientation.
Difficulty today sits in the middle range. The theme phrase “1 × 1, etc.” is a lateral hint – it points toward the spangram’s meaning rather than the theme words directly. Once SQUARENUMBER is found, the remaining six playground entries tend to follow quickly.
For the full NYT Games lineup today, the Wordle answer for September 25 is live, along with the NYT Mini Crossword answers for September 25.
