#739Thursday, March 12, 2026
Strands answers for March 12, 2026 — “Out-and-out” (#739)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 12, 2026 (puzzle #739) is DYEDINTHEWOOL, a 13-letter answer to the theme "Out-and-out". The 5 theme words are COMPLETE, THOROUGH, TOTAL, UTTER and VERITABLE.
Where is each answer on the March 12 Strands board?
The 5 theme words for Strands on March 12, 2026 are listed below, followed by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COMPLETE | 8 | row 4, column 4 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| THOROUGH | 8 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOTAL | 5 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| UTTER | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| VERITABLE | 9 | row 5, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| DYEDINTHEWOOL | 13 | row 1, column 1 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the March 12 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for March 12, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 13 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-Y-E-D-T-E, row 2 reads T-T-A-I-E-L, row 3 reads O-L-T-N-M-P, row 4 reads E-R-H-C-O-E, row 5 reads T-T-E-W-V-L, row 6 reads T-H-U-O-E-B, row 7 reads H-G-U-O-R-A, and row 8 reads O-R-O-L-I-T.
How hard was the March 12 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the March 12, 2026 puzzle lands in the above average range — above 70% 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 March 12 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #739 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 12 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 12, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 12, 2026 is “Out-and-out”, on puzzle #739. It is answered by the spangram DYEDINTHEWOOL, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 12, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for March 12, 2026 are COMPLETE, THOROUGH, TOTAL, UTTER and VERITABLE, plus the spangram DYEDINTHEWOOL.
What was the big word in the March 12, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 12, 2026 is DYEDINTHEWOOL, 13 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 8, 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 “Out-and-out” mean?
The Strands theme “Out-and-out” for March 12, 2026 means DYEDINTHEWOOL — 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 12, 2026?
Strands puzzle #739 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 12, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #739 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 70% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 12, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, March 12, 2026 is #739, 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.