#786Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Strands answers for April 28, 2026 — “Attention, attention!” (#786)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 28, 2026 (puzzle #786) is LIKEAHAWK, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Attention, attention!". The 6 theme words are BEHOLD, EYEBALL, MONITOR, OBSERVE, WATCH and WITNESS.
Where is each answer on the April 28 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the April 28, 2026 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEHOLD | 6 | row 2, column 6 | row 1, column 3 | right to left |
| EYEBALL | 7 | row 6, column 6 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| MONITOR | 7 | row 6, column 3 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
| OBSERVE | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| WATCH | 5 | row 2, column 2 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| WITNESS | 7 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIKEAHAWK | 9 | row 6, column 1 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 28 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the April 28, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 9 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 T-A-D-L-H-E, row 2 reads C-W-V-E-O-B, row 3 reads H-E-R-A-W-K, row 4 reads B-S-A-H-T-O, row 5 reads O-K-E-N-I-R, row 6 reads L-I-M-O-B-E, row 7 reads I-T-N-A-E-Y, and row 8 reads W-S-S-E-L-L.
How hard was the April 28 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #786 comes out above average, ahead of 76% 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 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #786 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 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 28, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 28, 2026 is “Attention, attention!”, on puzzle #786. It is answered by the spangram LIKEAHAWK, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 28, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for April 28, 2026 are BEHOLD, EYEBALL, MONITOR, OBSERVE, WATCH and WITNESS, plus the spangram LIKEAHAWK.
What was the big word in the April 28, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 28, 2026 is LIKEAHAWK, 9 letters long, running from row 6, column 1 to row 3, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Attention, attention!” mean?
The Strands theme “Attention, attention!” for April 28, 2026 means LIKEAHAWK — 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 28, 2026?
Strands puzzle #786 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 28, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #786 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 76% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 28, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 is #786, 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.