#788Thursday, April 30, 2026
Strands answers for April 30, 2026 — “Wet blankets” (#788)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 30, 2026 (puzzle #788) is CONDENSATION, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Wet blankets". The 6 theme words are AEROSOL, DRIZZLE, HUMIDITY, MIST, STEAM and VAPOR.
Where is each answer on the April 30 Strands board?
The 6 theme words for Strands on April 30, 2026 are listed below, followed by the 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AEROSOL | 7 | row 8, column 2 | row 4, column 3 | bottom to top |
| DRIZZLE | 7 | row 4, column 5 | row 1, column 5 | bottom to top |
| HUMIDITY | 8 | row 7, column 6 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| MIST | 4 | row 4, column 1 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| STEAM | 5 | row 8, column 6 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| VAPOR | 5 | row 3, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CONDENSATION | 12 | row 8, column 3 | row 1, column 3 | bottom to top |
What did the April 30 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for April 30, 2026 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 12 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 R-O-N-O-E-L, row 2 reads T-P-A-I-Z-I, row 3 reads S-I-V-T-Z-R, row 4 reads M-O-L-A-D-T, row 5 reads S-E-N-S-I-Y, row 6 reads O-D-M-D-I-M, row 7 reads R-N-O-A-U-H, and row 8 reads E-A-C-E-T-S.
How hard was the April 30 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the April 30, 2026 puzzle lands in the average range — above 47% of all Strands puzzles.
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 30 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #788 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 30 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 30, 2026?
The Strands clue for April 30, 2026 is “Wet blankets”, on puzzle #788. It is answered by the spangram CONDENSATION, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 30, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for April 30, 2026 are AEROSOL, DRIZZLE, HUMIDITY, MIST, STEAM and VAPOR, plus the spangram CONDENSATION.
What was the big word in the April 30, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 30, 2026 is CONDENSATION, 12 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 1, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Wet blankets” mean?
The Strands theme “Wet blankets” for April 30, 2026 means CONDENSATION — 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 30, 2026?
Strands puzzle #788 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 30, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #788 rates average on a computed index, harder than 47% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 30, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, April 30, 2026 is #788, 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.