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NYT Strands Answer & Hints — “On the sly”, April 10, 2026

Stuck on the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle? Here are progressive hints and the full answer for the “On the sly” puzzle (Strands #460 of 508 in our archive). Every reveal is hidden by default — click to open the ones you need.

Spoiler warning. The answers below are for the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle. Scroll past this section if you want to solve it yourself first.
Hint 1: The themeReveal

The theme for the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle is “On the sly”. Every theme word and the spangram connects back to this phrase, so think about what related words might fit a 6×8 grid of 48 letters before you start scanning.

Hint 2: Spangram length and first letterReveal

The spangram for the “On the sly” puzzle is 8 letters long and starts with the letter L. It touches two opposite edges of the grid, as every NYT Strands spangram does.

Hint 3: How many theme wordsReveal

Besides the spangram, the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle has 7 theme words. Together with the spangram, they use every letter on the 6×8 grid exactly once.

Answer: Full spangramReveal

The spangram for the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands “On the sly” puzzle is LIKEAFOX. It spans two opposite edges of the 6×8 grid and captures the theme directly.

Answer: All theme wordsReveal

Here are the 7 theme words for the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands “On the sly” puzzle:

  • CANNY
  • CRAFTY
  • CUNNING
  • DEVIOUS
  • SHREWD
  • SLICK
  • WILY

Plus the spangram LIKEAFOX, that’s every word on the grid — all 48 letters accounted for.

Answers for the April 10, 2026 NYT Strands puzzle. Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive — today's NYT Strands is free on nytimes.com/games/strands.

About the "On the sly" NYT Strands puzzle

This puzzle's theme, "On the sly", contains a subtle twist. Strands puzzles with wordplay themes are designed to misdirect at first glance, then reward you with a satisfying "aha" when the spangram makes everything click. The arts & culture words hidden in the grid all connect to the theme's actual meaning, not the obvious one. Think about alternative interpretations before you start scanning.

At 7 theme words, this is one of the denser puzzles in the archive. The grid is packed, so words will be closer together. With 8 letters, the spangram is mid-length — long enough to stand out in the grid but still requiring careful scanning to trace from edge to edge. Originally published on a Friday, Puzzle #460 is a more recent addition to the 508+ puzzle archive.

#460
Puzzle Number
7
Theme Words
8
Spangram Letters
Medium
Difficulty

How to approach "On the sly"

  • This theme contains wordplay — don't take it at face value. Think about alternative meanings and which interpretation the hidden words might support.
  • There are 7 theme words packed into this grid. Try to find 2-3 shorter words first to free up space and make the remaining words easier to trace.
  • If you get stuck, try finding non-theme words (any valid 4+ letter English word) to earn hints. Each hint reveals one letter of an unsolved theme word.
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Strands Unlimited is an independent fan archive of past Strands puzzles. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by The New York Times Company. NYT Strands is a trademark of The New York Times Company. Today's daily puzzle is free at nytimes.com/games/strands.