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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →For Monday, February 23, 2026, the NYT Strands theme is “Strike a chord.” Start with that nudge if you want to keep the puzzle mostly spoiler-free; the full answer set is farther down.
Hints for the February 23 Strands puzzle
Theme hint
Think of an instrument and the parts that make it up.
Spangram hint
The six-letter spangram starts with G and names the instrument.
Spoiler warning: full answers below
The February 23 puzzle is game #722, according to TechRadar’s dated guide. The theme is “Strike a chord.”
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Spangram
GUITAR
Theme words
- BODY
- BRIDGE
- FRETBOARD
- HEADSTOCK
- NECK
- PEGS
- STRING
The seven theme words are guitar components. The same answer set appears in the StrandsSolution archive and the PlayStrandsNYT page for February 23. TechRadar also lists TOAD, BRIDE, TANK, BONG, TRIED and RANK as non-answer words that can help unlock in-game hints; they are not part of the solution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Strands works
In Strands, you trace theme-related words through a letter grid, moving vertically, horizontally or diagonally between adjacent letters without reusing a cell in the same word. The spangram connects opposite sides of the grid and reveals the theme. After three valid guesses that are not hidden answers, the game offers a hint by highlighting the letters of a hidden word. These general mechanics are described in the authors’ 2026 paper Man, These New York Times Games Are Hard! A Computational Perspective.
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