#787Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Strands answers for April 29, 2026 — “Fish or cut bait” (#787)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 29, 2026 (puzzle #787) is TACKLE, a 6-letter answer to the theme "Fish or cut bait". The 8 theme words are BOBBER, COOLER, HOOK, LURE, PLIERS, REEL, SWIVEL and WEIGHT.
Where is each answer on the April 29 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #787 is 8 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BOBBER | 6 | row 1, column 4 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| COOLER | 6 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| HOOK | 4 | row 3, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| LURE | 4 | row 6, column 2 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLIERS | 6 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | top to bottom |
| REEL | 4 | row 2, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SWIVEL | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| WEIGHT | 6 | row 2, column 4 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| TACKLE | 6 | row 4, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | left to right |
What did the April 29 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #787 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 6 letters8 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 E-E-K-B-O-B, row 2 reads R-L-O-W-E-B, row 3 reads H-O-E-H-T-R, row 4 reads T-A-I-G-L-E, row 5 reads E-R-C-K-P-L, row 6 reads U-L-W-S-E-I, row 7 reads V-I-C-O-O-R, and row 8 reads E-L-R-E-L-S.
How hard was the April 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands #787 scores average on our difficulty index, harder than 52% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #787 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Zoe Bell. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 29 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 29, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 29, 2026 is “Fish or cut bait”, on puzzle #787. It is answered by the spangram TACKLE, and all 8 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 29, 2026?
The 8 Strands theme words for April 29, 2026 are BOBBER, COOLER, HOOK, LURE, PLIERS, REEL, SWIVEL and WEIGHT, plus the spangram TACKLE.
What was the big word in the April 29, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 29, 2026 is TACKLE, 6 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 4, 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 “Fish or cut bait” mean?
The Strands theme “Fish or cut bait” for April 29, 2026 means TACKLE — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 8 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 29, 2026?
Strands puzzle #787 has 8 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 29, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #787 rates average on a computed index, harder than 52% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 29, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, April 29, 2026 is #787, 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.