The New York Times Strands puzzle #980 brings a combat‑themed challenge to the board. With words linked to well‑known styles of hand‑to‑hand fighting, today’s puzzle invites players to explore vocabulary about disciplined fighting disciplines. If you want to protect your perfect streak without using the in‑game hints, we have you covered.
Below, you will 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
Today’s puzzle centers around established styles of hand‑to‑hand combat. Finding the Spangram first can help reveal the shared link among all theme words, though spotting shorter puzzle entries may be a simpler starting point.
All hidden words tie back to named fighting disciplines. The Spangram weaves this shared combat‑focused theme together across the board, without naming the individual entries themselves.
Today’s Strands Hints
To get you started without spoiling the specific words, use these clues to navigate the board:
- Today’s Official Theme Clue: “Systems of practiced hand‑to‑hand combat.”
- Spangram Hint: An umbrella term covering many traditional fighting styles.
- Spangram Start/End Letters: Starts with M and ends with S, and has twelve letters in total.
Here is our result for today’s puzzle:
Strands #980
“Disciplined combat”
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⚠️ Spoiler Warning: The Spangram answer and full list of theme words are shown below. Do not scroll down if you still want to solve it yourself and follow the hints and clue above.
Today’s Strands Answers
All theme words are listed below, along with the official Spangram answer.
Here are all the theme words found on the board:
- JUDO
- KARATE
- KICKBOXING
- NINJUTSU
- TAEKWONDO
⚠️ WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
👉 Click to Reveal the Spangram
The Spangram word today is
MARTIALARTS
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 #979 (November 7, 2026).
- Spangram: WHATSTHEHURRY
- Theme Words: FLASH, HURTLE, RUSH, STREAK, WHIZ, WHOOSH, ZOOM
For older solutions, see our Strands answers archive.
How Did You Do?
Did you pick up on the combat‑related theme quickly, or did the Spangram take you a little longer to uncover? Share your experience in the comments below.
A new puzzle becomes available every midnight based on your local time zone. It appears at different times around the world, including United States UTC‑4 to UTC‑8, Philippine Standard Time UTC+8, Australia UTC+8 to UTC+11, and New Zealand UTC+12 or UTC+13.
Check back tomorrow for more Strands hints, strategy tips, and the next answer.
