Today’s NYT Strands puzzle, Wednesday, March 4, 2026, is #731. Its theme is “Piece of cake,” with the clue “Preheat the oven.” Start with the hints below and stop before the marked spoilers if you want to solve it yourself.
Hints for today’s Strands
The theme clue is “Preheat the oven.” The first two letters of the six theme words are CO, SU, FL, CA, FR, and VA. The spangram’s first two letters are BA.
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Spangram spoiler
BAKINGAISLE
The spangram’s path uses both vertical and horizontal movement.
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- COCOA
- SUGAR
- FLOUR
- CANDLES
- FROSTING
- VANILLA
How Strands hints work
In Strands, you find words related to the theme to fill the board. Drag or tap letters to form a word; when using taps, double-tap to submit. Theme words do not overlap, and found theme words turn blue. The spangram describes the theme, touches two opposite sides of the board, and can contain two words; it turns yellow when found.
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According to the instructions reproduced in Parade’s March 4 guide, finding three accepted non-theme words earns an in-game hint that reveals letters in a theme word. If a hint is already active, another hint shows the order of that word’s letters. Parade’s guide to the March 4, 2026 puzzle is the source for this answer set and the rules summary.
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