#742Sunday, March 15, 2026
Strands answers for March 15, 2026 — “Best of all” (#742)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 15, 2026 (puzzle #742) is ACADEMYAWARD, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Best of all". The 6 theme words are ACTOR, ACTRESS, DIRECTOR, PICTURE, SONG and SOUND.
Where is each answer on the March 15 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the March 15, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ACTOR | 5 | row 3, column 1 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| ACTRESS | 7 | row 8, column 4 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| DIRECTOR | 8 | row 2, column 2 | row 1, column 6 | left to right |
| PICTURE | 7 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SONG | 4 | row 8, column 3 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOUND | 5 | row 3, column 5 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| ACADEMYAWARD | 12 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the March 15 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the March 15, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 12 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 I-R-E-C-T-R, row 2 reads C-D-M-Y-O-D, row 3 reads A-T-E-A-S-N, row 4 reads R-O-D-W-O-U, row 5 reads A-C-A-A-R-D, row 6 reads T-U-R-E-S-S, row 7 reads I-C-N-G-T-E, and row 8 reads P-O-S-A-C-R.
How hard was the March 15 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the March 15, 2026 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 26% 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 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #742 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 March 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 15, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 15, 2026 is “Best of all”, on puzzle #742. It is answered by the spangram ACADEMYAWARD, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 15, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for March 15, 2026 are ACTOR, ACTRESS, DIRECTOR, PICTURE, SONG and SOUND, plus the spangram ACADEMYAWARD.
What was the big word in the March 15, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 15, 2026 is ACADEMYAWARD, 12 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 5, 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 “Best of all” mean?
The Strands theme “Best of all” for March 15, 2026 means ACADEMYAWARD — 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 March 15, 2026?
Strands puzzle #742 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 15, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #742 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 26% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 15, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, March 15, 2026 is #742, 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.