If you’ve been searching for the most up-to-date solution to the Strands puzzle, you’ve come to the right place. Here, you’ll not only discover the latest answer to today’s Strands challenge but also find a comprehensive collection of daily hints and solutions for several other beloved The New York Times games. These include the fan-favorite Mini Crossword, the ever-popular Wordle, the logic-and-connection-based game Connections, and its special spin-off, Connections: Sports Edition. Every day, these puzzles provide fresh opportunities to test your mind, sharpen your reasoning, and expand your vocabulary, and we make sure you never fall behind by offering clear and detailed hints to help you solve each one.
Today’s Strands puzzle from The New York Times features a theme that stands out for its playful and lively tone. It’s a particularly fun topic, though its spooky undertone might feel even more fitting during the crisp autumn days of October, when tales of ghosts and shivers are most at home. Despite its lightheartedness, this edition presents a genuine challenge: several of the key words are cleverly scrambled, requiring a careful eye and some creative thinking to uncover. Should you find yourself stumped or simply wishing for a nudge in the right direction, continue reading for an in-depth guide to today’s hints and the full list of correct answers.
In the accompanying article, I also explore the official Strands rules in greater detail, breaking down how the game works and walking through various strategies that can help improve both accuracy and speed. If, however, your curiosity extends beyond Strands and you’re also keen to check your progress on the other daily brainteasers—namely Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword—you can visit CNET’s dedicated page focused on New York Times puzzle hints and solutions. There, each day’s set of clues is carefully curated to give solvers just the right amount of help while keeping the core challenge intact.
For those who enjoy tracking puzzle milestones and exploring trends, you might be interested to know that NYT Connections recently celebrated its first anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve looked back at the five most difficult and mind-bending puzzles the game has offered so far—a true test for even the most seasoned players. This reflection not only highlights the evolution of the puzzle’s design but also celebrates the growing community of solvers who thrive on intellectual challenges.
Now, turning back to today’s Strands, let’s examine the central theme and the clues that will guide your solving process. The theme for June 22’s puzzle is intriguingly titled “Heebie-jeebies”—a phrase often used to describe that spine-tingling sense of nervous excitement or fear. If that hint alone doesn’t yet spark recognition, consider the additional clue provided: “Boo!” This playful word evokes the classic cry of a ghost trying to startle someone, directing you toward words associated with fright, chills, and uneasy sensations.
As with every Strands puzzle, your task is to uncover hidden words that align with the puzzle’s given theme. The objective is to find all the thematically linked terms woven throughout the letter grid. For players who might find themselves stuck, there’s an in-game hint system designed to support you: by identifying and submitting any valid words of four or more letters, you gradually earn clues toward the overarching theme answers. Each time you successfully locate three such words, the game rewards you by automatically revealing one of the key theme words. While I personally used examples like WILES, WILL, WILLS, SOOT, SOGS, SEEM, BUST, BUTS, HIVE, HIVES, and JUMP to unlock my hints, you can employ any comparable combinations of letters—so long as they meet the required length—to achieve the same effect.
Once you’ve generated enough assistance from the hint system, you can move on to solving the full set of themed answers. The ultimate aim is to identify all the puzzle’s key words, including both regular theme entries and the special term known as the spangram. This spangram is particularly noteworthy: it’s the puzzle’s signature element, stretching seamlessly from one side of the grid to the other while tying together the central theme. Although I initially assumed that every Strands puzzle always contained exactly eight theme words, I’ve since learned that the total can vary from day to day. Regardless of the number, the guiding principle remains the same—when you have correctly found every theme-related term, all the letters on the board will have been used.
For today’s puzzle, the non-spangram theme answers that capture the idea of creepy sensations or nervous shudders are: CREEPS, SHIVERS, JITTERS, WILLIES, and BUTTERFLIES. Each of these words relates to the feeling of unease or physical reaction that comes from nerves or fright, perfectly aligning with the theme’s “Heebie-jeebies” concept. Completing this list leads us to the final, central solution—the spangram.
In the finished Strands puzzle for June 22, 2026, which can be seen in the official NYT/Screenshot published by CNET, today’s spangram is revealed to be GOOSEBUMPS. This word neatly encapsulates the entire puzzle’s concept, representing both the physical and emotional manifestation of fear or anticipation. To trace it successfully within the grid, begin with the letter ‘G’ positioned five spaces down in the far-left column, then follow a winding path upward and around until the full word appears. Once complete, every corner of the puzzle will connect to reveal a satisfying and thematic conclusion—a clever reminder of how a well-designed word puzzle can transform a simple letter grid into a rich exercise in logic, language, and creativity.
Sourse: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/todays-nyt-strands-hints-answers-and-help-for-june-22-841/
