#775Friday, April 17, 2026
Strands answers for April 17, 2026 — “Shell company” (#775)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 17, 2026 (puzzle #775) is MOLLUSK, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Shell company". The 7 theme words are ABALONE, CLAM, CONCH, LIMPET, MUSSEL, OYSTER and SCALLOP.
Where is each answer on the April 17 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on April 17, 2026 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABALONE | 7 | row 6, column 5 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CLAM | 4 | row 3, column 4 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CONCH | 5 | row 2, column 6 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIMPET | 6 | row 3, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| MUSSEL | 6 | row 8, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| OYSTER | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCALLOP | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| MOLLUSK | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 3, column 5 | left to right |
What did the April 17 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for April 17, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 7 letters7 theme words
Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.
Read across the grid, row 1 reads M-P-E-M-H-C, row 2 reads I-T-A-L-N-C, row 3 reads L-Y-O-C-K-O, row 4 reads M-S-T-E-R-S, row 5 reads S-O-L-L-U-B, row 6 reads C-P-S-S-A-A, row 7 reads A-O-U-E-O-L, and row 8 reads L-L-M-L-E-N.
How hard was the April 17 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #775 comes out easy, ahead of 6% of them.
Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.
Who made the April 17 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #775 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 17 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 17, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 17, 2026 is “Shell company”, on puzzle #775. It is answered by the spangram MOLLUSK, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 17, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for April 17, 2026 are ABALONE, CLAM, CONCH, LIMPET, MUSSEL, OYSTER and SCALLOP, plus the spangram MOLLUSK.
What was the big word in the April 17, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 17, 2026 is MOLLUSK, 7 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 3, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Shell company” mean?
The Strands theme “Shell company” for April 17, 2026 means MOLLUSK — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 17, 2026?
Strands puzzle #775 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 17, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #775 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 6% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 17, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, April 17, 2026 is #775, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.
Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in April 2026, part of the full Strands archive.