The answer to NYT Strands #920 for Wednesday, September 9, 2026 is SUNANDSHADE (the spangram), with theme words ARBOR, BOWER, CANOPY, GAZEBO, PAVILION, and PERGOLA. The theme is “Over and out(side).”
If you want to work it out yourself first, here are three hints before the full reveal:
- Today’s theme connects structures you can sit beneath outdoors
- All six words describe something built or grown to provide shade or shelter in a garden or park
- The spangram is a compound of two words that together describe what these structures do
NYT Strands #920 full solution for September 9, 2026:
Theme: “Over and out(side).”
Spangram: SUNANDSHADE
SUN AND SHADE is the linking concept – every theme word is a structure designed to sit outside and provide cover, whether from the sun or light rain.
Theme words:
ARBOR, BOWER, CANOPY, GAZEBO, PAVILION, PERGOLA
All six are classic garden or park structures. An ARBOR is typically a latticework arch with climbing plants. A BOWER is a sheltered nook formed by overhanging branches or trained vines. A CANOPY describes any overhead covering, from a fabric awning to a tree cover. A GAZEBO is a freestanding roofed structure, often octagonal. A PAVILION is a larger open-sided building used for outdoor events. A PERGOLA is a framework of vertical posts topped by an open lattice, usually planted with climbing vines.
The misdirection today comes from words like CANOPY and BOWER, which appear in non-architectural contexts often enough to misdirect – canopy can refer to a forest ceiling, and bower is also a term in card games. Solvers who anchor on ARBOR, GAZEBO, and PERGOLA first should find the rest fall into place quickly.
Today’s Strands runs on the easier side of medium. The theme phrase “Over and out(side)” is a clean pointer once it clicks – the parenthetical “side” signals outdoor structures, and “over” points to coverage from above.
For the rest of today’s NYT puzzle slate, the Wordle answer for September 9, 2026 is on Eastern Herald, along with the NYT Connections answers for September 9 and the NYT Spelling Bee answers for September 9. Yesterday’s solutions are also available: the NYT Strands answers for September 8 and the NYT Mini Crossword answers for September 8.
