Spoilers ahead. NYT Strands game #701, for Monday, February 2, 2026, has the theme “Formidable flock.” The spangram is BIGBIRDS; the six other answers are PENGUIN, OSTRICH, RHEA, CONDOR, PELICAN, and CASSOWARY.
Hints for Strands #701
Use these clues in order if you want help without seeing every answer at once:
- Gentle hint: Wings and beaks.
- Theme: Formidable flock.
- Opening letters: The six theme words begin RH, CO, OS, PE, PE, and CA. The spangram begins BI.
- Spangram hint: It is eight letters and runs mostly horizontally across the board, from left to right at row five.
Today’s Strands answers
The six theme words and the spangram are:
- PENGUIN
- OSTRICH
- RHEA
- CONDOR
- PELICAN
- CASSOWARY
- Spangram: BIGBIRDS
How to use hints in Strands
Strands is played on a six-by-eight letter grid. Connect adjacent letters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally to form words. Theme words remain highlighted once found and do not overlap. The spangram captures the theme and touches two opposite sides of the board.
To earn an in-game hint, find three valid words that are not theme answers. The hint reveals letters belonging to one of the theme words. Suggested non-theme words for this puzzle include RIPEN, COWARDS, STIR, PEACH, DRIP, and GIRL.
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Sources
The answer set and theme are corroborated by TechRadar, Parade, and Forbes. Parade and Forbes also describe the game mechanics. The original NYT puzzle page was not available in the cited coverage, so these puzzle details are supported by the independent guides.
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