#769Saturday, April 11, 2026
Strands answers for April 11, 2026 — “You're putting me on” (#769)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 11, 2026 (puzzle #769) is TOPGEAR, a 7-letter answer to the theme "You're putting me on". The 7 theme words are BEANIE, BERET, BOWLER, DERBY, FEDORA, SOMBRERO and TOQUE.
Where is each answer on the April 11 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #769 is 7 theme words and one spangram.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEANIE | 6 | row 3, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| BERET | 5 | row 2, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| BOWLER | 6 | row 5, column 2 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| DERBY | 5 | row 7, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | bottom to top |
| FEDORA | 6 | row 3, column 4 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SOMBRERO | 8 | row 8, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| TOQUE | 5 | row 5, column 5 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| TOPGEAR | 7 | row 5, column 1 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 11 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #769 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 7 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-R-O-D-T-E, row 2 reads I-E-A-E-B-R, row 3 reads N-A-B-F-E-R, row 4 reads O-P-G-E-A-Y, row 5 reads T-B-E-O-T-B, row 6 reads O-W-L-U-Q-R, row 7 reads R-E-B-R-D-E, and row 8 reads S-O-M-E-R-O.
How hard was the April 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands #769 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 24% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 April 11 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #769 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 April 11 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 11, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 11, 2026 is “You're putting me on”, on puzzle #769. It is answered by the spangram TOPGEAR, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 11, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for April 11, 2026 are BEANIE, BERET, BOWLER, DERBY, FEDORA, SOMBRERO and TOQUE, plus the spangram TOPGEAR.
What was the big word in the April 11, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 11, 2026 is TOPGEAR, 7 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 3, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “You're putting me on” mean?
The Strands theme “You're putting me on” for April 11, 2026 means TOPGEAR — 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 April 11, 2026?
Strands puzzle #769 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 11, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #769 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 24% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 11, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, April 11, 2026 is #769, 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 April 2026, part of the full Strands archive.