#778Monday, April 20, 2026
Strands answers for April 20, 2026 — “Gloriously glaring!” (#778)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 20, 2026 (puzzle #778) is CATCHTHELIGHT, a 13-letter answer to the theme "Gloriously glaring!". The 6 theme words are GLEAM, GLIMMER, GLINT, GLISTEN, GLITTER and GLOW.
Where is each answer on the April 20 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #778 is 6 theme words and one spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GLEAM | 5 | row 5, column 2 | row 1, column 3 | bottom to top |
| GLIMMER | 7 | row 5, column 6 | row 3, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLINT | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLISTEN | 7 | row 1, column 2 | row 4, column 1 | top to bottom |
| GLITTER | 7 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLOW | 4 | row 8, column 4 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CATCHTHELIGHT | 13 | row 8, column 3 | row 2, column 4 | bottom to top |
What did the April 20 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 13 letters6 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 L-G-M-H-G-I, row 2 reads T-I-A-T-E-L, row 3 reads E-S-E-H-R-E, row 4 reads N-L-H-T-M-L, row 5 reads E-G-C-M-I-G, row 6 reads T-R-T-O-W-G, row 7 reads L-T-A-L-T-L, and row 8 reads G-I-C-G-N-I.
How hard was the April 20 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #778 as hard: it sits at the 81th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 20 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #778 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Hope Fourie. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 20 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 20, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 20, 2026 is “Gloriously glaring!”, on puzzle #778. It is answered by the spangram CATCHTHELIGHT, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 20, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for April 20, 2026 are GLEAM, GLIMMER, GLINT, GLISTEN, GLITTER and GLOW, plus the spangram CATCHTHELIGHT.
What was the big word in the April 20, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 20, 2026 is CATCHTHELIGHT, 13 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 2, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Gloriously glaring!” mean?
The Strands theme “Gloriously glaring!” for April 20, 2026 means CATCHTHELIGHT — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 20, 2026?
Strands puzzle #778 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 20, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #778 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 81% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 20, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, April 20, 2026 is #778, 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.