#749Sunday, March 22, 2026
Strands answers for March 22, 2026 — “Trademarked no more” (#749)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 22, 2026 (puzzle #749) is GENERICTERM, a 11-letter answer to the theme "Trademarked no more". The 5 theme words are ASPIRIN, DUMPSTER, ESCALATOR, THERMOS and ZIPPER.
Where is each answer on the March 22 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #749 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASPIRIN | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 8, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| DUMPSTER | 8 | row 8, column 4 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| ESCALATOR | 9 | row 6, column 6 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| THERMOS | 7 | row 4, column 6 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| ZIPPER | 6 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 5 | left to right |
| GENERICTERM | 11 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the March 22 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #749 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 11 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 I-P-P-S-M-R, row 2 reads Z-R-O-E-O-E, row 3 reads G-M-T-A-R-H, row 4 reads A-E-R-L-A-T, row 5 reads S-R-N-E-C-S, row 6 reads P-E-P-E-T-E, row 7 reads I-T-S-M-R-C, and row 8 reads R-I-N-D-U-I.
How hard was the March 22 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #749 as easy: it sits at the 6th 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 22 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #749 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 22 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 22, 2026?
The Strands clue for March 22, 2026 is “Trademarked no more”, on puzzle #749. It is answered by the spangram GENERICTERM, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 22, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for March 22, 2026 are ASPIRIN, DUMPSTER, ESCALATOR, THERMOS and ZIPPER, plus the spangram GENERICTERM.
What was the big word in the March 22, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 22, 2026 is GENERICTERM, 11 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 3, 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 “Trademarked no more” mean?
The Strands theme “Trademarked no more” for March 22, 2026 means GENERICTERM — 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 22, 2026?
Strands puzzle #749 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 22, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #749 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 6% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 22, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, March 22, 2026 is #749, 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.