NYT Strands Hints and Answers: September 22, 2026 (Puzzle #933)

The New York Times Strands puzzle #933 brings a challenging board layout that might leave you searching for non-theme words just to fill your hint meter. If you want to protect your perfect streak without using up the in-game hints, we have you covered.

Below, you’ll find today’s theme clue, targeted hints for the Spangram, and the complete solution at the bottom of the page.

Today’s Strands Strategy and Commentary

Finding the Spangram first can be tricky since it has 11 letters. Picking out easy words first like FALL, FOAL, and LOAN can help you earn hints to reveal the first theme word. The four theme words can be tricky since they’re pretty long too. I suggest finding the easier words on the board first to unlock hints. Once you spot all the theme words, connecting the letters for the Spangram becomes much simpler.

Today’s Strands Hints

To get you started without spoiling the specific words, use these structural clues to navigate the board:

• Today’s Official Theme Clue: “Marking the shift of seasons”
• Spangram Hint: It refers to the time of year when day and night are nearly equal length, and it spans across the board in connected parts.
• Spangram Start/End Letters: Starts with F and ends with X, and there are 11 letters in total.

Here is my result for today’s puzzle:

Strands #933
“Day and night shift”
💡🔵🔵🔵
💡🔵🟡

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The Spangram answer and full list of theme words are shown below. Don’t scroll down if you still want to solve it yourself and follow the hints and clue above.

Today’s Strands Answers

Here are all the theme words found on the board:

• SWITCH
• CHANGEOVER
• PROGRESSION
• TRANSITION

Yesterday’s Answer

Catch up on yesterday’s solution. This record shows the Spangram and theme words from the previous game, so you can compare results or double-check the past grid.

Below is yesterday’s answer for NYT Strands hints & answers for puzzle #932.

• Spangram: NINETIESTREND
• Theme Words: NEON, GRUNGE, LYCRA, SCRUNCHIES, TRACKSUITS

For older solutions, see our Strands answers archive.

How did you do?

Did you manage to find the Spangram on your very first try, or did you have to rely on filling the hint meter with unrelated words or just spot some theme words?

Let us know how many hints you used or share your thoughts on today’s theme in the comments section below.