#801Wednesday, May 13, 2026
Strands answers for May 13, 2026 — “You've got ...” (#801)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 13, 2026 (puzzle #801) is WHATITTAKES, a 11-letter answer to the theme "You've got ...". The 7 theme words are FIBER, GRIT, GUMPTION, HEART, NERVE, PLUCK and SPUNK.
Where is each answer on the May 13 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the May 13, 2026 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FIBER | 5 | row 7, column 5 | row 5, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GRIT | 4 | row 3, column 6 | row 4, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GUMPTION | 8 | row 5, column 2 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HEART | 5 | row 6, column 5 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| NERVE | 5 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLUCK | 5 | row 2, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPUNK | 5 | row 3, column 1 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| WHATITTAKES | 11 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the May 13 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the May 13, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 11 letters7 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 E-E-W-H-K-C, row 2 reads V-R-N-A-P-U, row 3 reads S-P-U-T-L-G, row 4 reads K-N-T-I-T-R, row 5 reads N-G-T-E-R-I, row 6 reads O-U-A-B-H-E, row 7 reads I-M-K-I-F-A, and row 8 reads T-P-E-S-T-R.
How hard was the May 13 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the May 13, 2026 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 21% 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 May 13 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #801 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 May 13 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 13, 2026?
The Strands clue for May 13, 2026 is “You've got ...”, on puzzle #801. It is answered by the spangram WHATITTAKES, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 13, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for May 13, 2026 are FIBER, GRIT, GUMPTION, HEART, NERVE, PLUCK and SPUNK, plus the spangram WHATITTAKES.
What was the big word in the May 13, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 13, 2026 is WHATITTAKES, 11 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 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 “You've got ...” mean?
The Strands theme “You've got ...” for May 13, 2026 means WHATITTAKES — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands May 13, 2026?
Strands puzzle #801 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 13, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #801 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 21% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 13, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 is #801, 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 May 2026, part of the full Strands archive.