The New York Times' daily word game, Strands, presents a new challenge each day. For Monday, January 26, 2026 (game #694), the theme is "Grape expectations." This theme focuses on grape varieties used in winemaking.
Clue Words:
To unlock in-game hints, play the following words:
- ZEST
- THIS
- BLOT
- STAND
- LIFT
- HARD
Spangram Details:
- Number of Letters: 11
- Position: Spans from the bottom of the 3rd column to the top of the 3rd column
Answers:
- SHIRAZ
- MERLOT
- MALBEC
- CHARDONNAY
- ZINFANDEL
- Spangram: BYTHEBOTTLE
This puzzle highlights various grape varieties, including both red and white types. The spangram, "BYTHEBOTTLE," cleverly ties the theme together.
For more word-based fun, check out our pages for NYT Connections today and Quordle today, as well as Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
Note: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, January 25, game #693):
- POLE
- PICKET
- POST
- DOWEL
- BATON
- CANE
- STAKE
- Spangram: STICKYSITUATION
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.