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NYT Strands #942 has the theme “Things fall apart.” Start with the theme and a gentle spangram clue below; the complete answer list is farther down behind a clear spoiler warning.
Today’s Strands theme
The October 1, 2026 puzzle’s theme is “Things fall apart,” as reported by TechRadar’s October 1 guide. If you want to solve it yourself, use the clues in order and stop before the spoiler section.
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Clue words for in-game hints
Find these words on the board to earn the puzzle’s in-game hints:
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- CRUEL
- CORN
- SLAP
- REAL
- MATES
Spangram hint
The spangram has 12 letters. TechRadar reports that it begins on the left side at row 3 and ends on the right side at row 8. The board is recorded as six columns by eight rows on a secondary puzzle-record page.
Spoiler warning: full answers below
Stop here if you do not want the solution revealed.
Theme answers
- BREAK
- CRUMBLE
- COLLAPSE
- DISSOLVE
- FRAGMENT
Spangram
BEYONDREPAIR
About the date and difficulty report
TechRadar’s page labels this Thursday, October 1, puzzle #942 and says Strands appears at midnight in each time zone, so “today” may refer to a different local date depending on where you are. Its author, Johnny Dee, reports solving it with two hints and rates it Hard; that is his personal experience, not a general difficulty measure. The secondary puzzle record names Tracy Bennett as editor and constructor, but it is not an official NYT record.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where to play
TechRadar says Strands can be played through NYT Games on desktop or mobile. The clue words above are the words to find for the in-game hint system; the spangram and full answers are provided here if you need more help.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
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