#780Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Strands answers for April 22, 2026 — “Earth Day” (#780)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 22, 2026 (puzzle #780) is CONSERVATION, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Earth Day". The 6 theme words are DONATE, RECYCLE, REDUCE, REFILL, REPAIR and REUSE.
Where is each answer on the April 22 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on April 22, 2026 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DONATE | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| RECYCLE | 7 | row 3, column 5 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| REDUCE | 6 | row 1, column 3 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| REFILL | 6 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| REPAIR | 6 | row 8, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| REUSE | 5 | row 4, column 2 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| CONSERVATION | 12 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 22 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for April 22, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 12 letters6 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 C-E-R-N-L-C, row 2 reads U-E-N-O-E-Y, row 3 reads D-O-S-I-R-C, row 4 reads C-R-E-R-T-E, row 5 reads U-E-E-O-V-A, row 6 reads I-S-N-D-A-P, row 7 reads F-L-A-T-I-E, and row 8 reads R-E-L-E-R-R.
How hard was the April 22 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the April 22, 2026 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 29% of all Strands puzzles.
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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #780 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Jen Scheerer. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 22, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 22, 2026 is “Earth Day”, on puzzle #780. It is answered by the spangram CONSERVATION, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 22, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for April 22, 2026 are DONATE, RECYCLE, REDUCE, REFILL, REPAIR and REUSE, plus the spangram CONSERVATION.
What was the big word in the April 22, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 22, 2026 is CONSERVATION, 12 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 1, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Earth Day” mean?
The Strands theme “Earth Day” for April 22, 2026 means CONSERVATION — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 22, 2026?
Strands puzzle #780 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 22, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #780 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 29% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 22, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 is #780, 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.