#693Sunday, January 25, 2026
Strands answers for January 25, 2026 — “The straight and narrow” (#693)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 25, 2026 (puzzle #693) is STICKYSITUATION, a 15-letter answer to the theme "The straight and narrow". The 7 theme words are BATON, CANE, DOWEL, PICKET, POLE, POST and STAKE.
Where is each answer on the January 25 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #693 is 7 theme words and one 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BATON | 5 | row 8, column 4 | row 4, column 4 | bottom to top |
| CANE | 4 | row 6, column 5 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| DOWEL | 5 | row 1, column 3 | row 5, column 3 | top to bottom |
| PICKET | 6 | row 2, column 6 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| POLE | 4 | row 8, column 2 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| POST | 4 | row 7, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| STAKE | 5 | row 3, column 4 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| STICKYSITUATION | 15 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the January 25 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #693 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 15 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 I-T-D-K-C-I, row 2 reads S-U-O-E-T-P, row 3 reads Y-A-W-S-E-K, row 4 reads K-T-E-N-T-A, row 5 reads C-I-L-O-E-N, row 6 reads I-O-E-T-C-A, row 7 reads T-N-L-A-P-T, and row 8 reads S-P-O-B-O-S.
How hard was the January 25 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #693 as easy: it sits at the 2th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 January 25 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #693 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the January 25 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 25, 2026?
The Strands clue for January 25, 2026 is “The straight and narrow”, on puzzle #693. It is answered by the spangram STICKYSITUATION, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 25, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for January 25, 2026 are BATON, CANE, DOWEL, PICKET, POLE, POST and STAKE, plus the spangram STICKYSITUATION.
What was the big word in the January 25, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 25, 2026 is STICKYSITUATION, 15 letters long, running from row 8, column 1 to row 7, column 2. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “The straight and narrow” mean?
The Strands theme “The straight and narrow” for January 25, 2026 means STICKYSITUATION — 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 January 25, 2026?
Strands puzzle #693 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 25, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #693 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 2% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 25, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, January 25, 2026 is #693, 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 January 2026, part of the full Strands archive.