#727Saturday, February 28, 2026
Strands answers for February 28, 2026 — “Dressing up” (#727)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for February 28, 2026 (puzzle #727) is GLAMOROUS, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Dressing up". The 6 theme words are CUFFLINKS, DIAMONDS, GOWN, HEELS, NECKTIE and TUXEDO.
Where is each answer on the February 28 Strands board?
Strands #727 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram GLAMOROUS.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CUFFLINKS | 9 | row 3, column 5 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| DIAMONDS | 8 | row 8, column 4 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| GOWN | 4 | row 8, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| HEELS | 5 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| NECKTIE | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| TUXEDO | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| GLAMOROUS | 9 | row 1, column 2 | row 8, column 2 | top to bottom |
What did the February 28 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #727 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 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 O-G-S-K-I-L, row 2 reads H-D-L-N-F-F, row 3 reads E-S-E-A-C-U, row 4 reads E-L-E-X-M-S, row 5 reads E-C-N-U-O-D, row 6 reads I-T-K-T-R-N, row 7 reads O-W-N-O-O-M, and row 8 reads G-S-U-D-I-A.
How hard was the February 28 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #727 as average: it sits at the 44th 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 February 28 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #727 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 February 28 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on February 28, 2026?
The Strands clue for February 28, 2026 is “Dressing up”, on puzzle #727. It is answered by the spangram GLAMOROUS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on February 28, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for February 28, 2026 are CUFFLINKS, DIAMONDS, GOWN, HEELS, NECKTIE and TUXEDO, plus the spangram GLAMOROUS.
What was the big word in the February 28, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for February 28, 2026 is GLAMOROUS, 9 letters long, running from row 1, column 2 to row 8, column 2. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Dressing up” mean?
The Strands theme “Dressing up” for February 28, 2026 means GLAMOROUS — 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 February 28, 2026?
Strands puzzle #727 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the February 28, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #727 rates average on a computed index, harder than 44% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on February 28, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, February 28, 2026 is #727, 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 February 2026, part of the full Strands archive.