NYT Strands: January 8, 2026 Hints and Solutions Revealed
Today’s NYT Strands game on January 8, 2026, offers an engaging challenge for fans of competitive television shows. Strands, an innovative word-search puzzle developed by the New York Times, diverges from traditional word searches. Players can form words by connecting letters in eight possible directions: up, down, left, right, and diagonally, even allowing for changes in word direction.
Understanding NYT Strands Game Mechanics
Each letter in the grid plays a role in forming answers. A unique theme connects all the solutions for the day. This includes a special term called the “spangram,” which is either a word or phrase that encapsulates the theme and spans the grid horizontally or vertically.
Today’s Theme: Reality TV
The theme for today’s puzzle is “That’s just reality (TV).” The words you need to find are all related to a well-known reality show.
Today’s Spangram
- Spangram Type: Horizontal
- Spangram Answer: The Traitors
Word List for January 8, 2026
- Shield
- Castle
- The Traitors
- Banishment
- Faithful
- Mission
If you find yourself stuck or don’t have a full 10 minutes to dedicate to the game, El-Balad has you covered with today’s hints and solutions. For additional challenges, you can explore other games like Mahjong, Sudoku, and free crosswords on our games page.