#748Saturday, March 21, 2026
Strands answers for March 21, 2026 — “Sniff sniff” (#748)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 21, 2026 (puzzle #748) is ONTHENOSE, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Sniff sniff". The 6 theme words are BEAK, HONKER, MUZZLE, PROBOSCIS, SCHNOZZLE and SNOUT.
Where is each answer on the March 21 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on March 21, 2026 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEAK | 4 | row 5, column 4 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| HONKER | 6 | row 1, column 5 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| MUZZLE | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 7, column 2 | top to bottom |
| PROBOSCIS | 9 | row 6, column 4 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCHNOZZLE | 9 | row 1, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SNOUT | 5 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| ONTHENOSE | 9 | row 1, column 4 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
What did the March 21 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for March 21, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 9 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 Z-O-S-O-H-O, row 2 reads Z-N-C-N-R-N, row 3 reads L-H-M-T-E-K, row 4 reads E-U-H-A-E-S, row 5 reads Z-E-K-B-C-I, row 6 reads Z-N-O-P-S-O, row 7 reads L-E-T-S-R-B, and row 8 reads S-N-O-U-E-O.
How hard was the March 21 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #748 comes out average, ahead of 36% of them.
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 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #748 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 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 21, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 21, 2026 is “Sniff sniff”, on puzzle #748. It is answered by the spangram ONTHENOSE, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 21, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for March 21, 2026 are BEAK, HONKER, MUZZLE, PROBOSCIS, SCHNOZZLE and SNOUT, plus the spangram ONTHENOSE.
What was the big word in the March 21, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 21, 2026 is ONTHENOSE, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 4 to row 8, column 5. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Sniff sniff” mean?
The Strands theme “Sniff sniff” for March 21, 2026 means ONTHENOSE — 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 21, 2026?
Strands puzzle #748 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 21, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #748 rates average on a computed index, harder than 36% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 21, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, March 21, 2026 is #748, 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.