NYT Strands #897 answer & hints: Monday, August 17, 2026

Updated: Monday, August 17, 2026 · Hints reviewed by Omer Liban · New puzzle daily at midnight US Eastern Time (5am UK). · Puzzle editor: Tracy Bennett.

This page has every level of help for the NYT Strands puzzle #897 of Monday, August 17, 2026: 2 spoiler-free hint tiers that narrow things down step by step, followed by the complete answers with explanations — each behind its own tap-to-reveal card.

Today's Strands theme got you stuck? Start with the theme explainer, then reveal first letters, the spangram, and finally the full solution.

Strands is a themed word search: find the theme words hidden in the letter grid, plus the spangram — a special answer that touches two opposite sides of the board and names the theme. Every letter gets used exactly once.

Strands hints (August 17, 2026)

1Understanding the theme

The official clue is “On a bender”. There are 7 theme words plus the spangram.

2First letters of the theme words

A, E, K, K, N, S, W

Strands answers — August 17, 2026 (#897)

★The spangram

BODYJOINTS (10 letters).

★All of today's Strands answers

Spangram: BODYJOINTS
Theme words: ANKLE, ELBOW, KNEE, KNUCKLE, NECK, SHOULDER, WRIST

The puzzle, explained

"On a bender" is all about the parts of your body that actually bend—your joints! The spangram BODYJOINTS nails this by literally naming what connects your limbs and lets you move in all those directions. Most of the theme words are pretty straightforward (ANKLE, KNEE, ELBOW, WRIST, SHOULDER, NECK all flex and fold), but KNUCKLE is the sneaky one since we don't usually think of our fingers as "bending" in the same way we think about elbows or knees. Still, those knuckle joints are doing serious work every time you make a fist or pick something up!

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Strands — common questions

What is a spangram in Strands?

The spangram is the special theme word or phrase that touches two opposite sides of the board. It describes the puzzle's theme and always exists in every Strands puzzle.

How do I earn hints in Strands itself?

Finding three non-theme words in the grid earns one in-game hint, which highlights the letters of a theme word.

Can theme words overlap in Strands?

No — every letter in the grid is used exactly once across the theme words and spangram, which is a powerful deduction tool late in the puzzle.

Previous Strands puzzles

Full Strands archive (137 puzzles) → · How to play Strands (spangram tactics) →