#738Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Strands answers for March 11, 2026 — “Survival mode” (#738)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 11, 2026 (puzzle #738) is DEFENSES, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Survival mode". The 5 theme words are AGILITY, ARMOR, CAMOUFLAGE, DISTRACTION and MIMICRY.
Where is each answer on the March 11 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #738 is 5 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AGILITY | 7 | row 2, column 1 | row 5, column 2 | top to bottom |
| ARMOR | 5 | row 5, column 6 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CAMOUFLAGE | 10 | row 1, column 2 | row 2, column 5 | left to right |
| DISTRACTION | 11 | row 7, column 5 | row 6, column 2 | right to left |
| MIMICRY | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| DEFENSES | 8 | row 1, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the March 11 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #738 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 8 letters5 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 D-C-A-F-L-A, row 2 reads A-E-M-U-E-G, row 3 reads G-I-F-O-R-O, row 4 reads L-I-T-E-R-M, row 5 reads O-Y-M-I-N-A, row 6 reads I-N-M-I-Y-S, row 7 reads T-A-C-R-D-E, and row 8 reads C-R-T-S-I-S.
How hard was the March 11 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #738 as above average: it sits at the 62th 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 March 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #738 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 March 11 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 11, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 11, 2026 is “Survival mode”, on puzzle #738. It is answered by the spangram DEFENSES, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 11, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for March 11, 2026 are AGILITY, ARMOR, CAMOUFLAGE, DISTRACTION and MIMICRY, plus the spangram DEFENSES.
What was the big word in the March 11, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 11, 2026 is DEFENSES, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 8, 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 “Survival mode” mean?
The Strands theme “Survival mode” for March 11, 2026 means DEFENSES — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands March 11, 2026?
Strands puzzle #738 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 11, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #738 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 62% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 11, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 is #738, 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 March 2026, part of the full Strands archive.