#676Thursday, January 8, 2026
Strands answers for January 8, 2026 — “That's just reality (TV)” (#676)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for January 8, 2026 (puzzle #676) is THETRAITORS, a 11-letter answer to the theme "That's just reality (TV)". The 5 theme words are BANISHMENT, CASTLE, FAITHFUL, MISSION and SHIELD.
Where is each answer on the January 8 Strands board?
Here are all 5 theme words from the January 8, 2026 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BANISHMENT | 10 | row 4, column 1 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CASTLE | 6 | row 2, column 4 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FAITHFUL | 8 | row 4, column 2 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| MISSION | 7 | row 5, column 4 | row 7, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHIELD | 6 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| THETRAITORS | 11 | row 3, column 1 | row 8, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the January 8 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 6 words tile all 48 cells of the January 8, 2026 grid.
Spangram — 11 letters5 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 S-I-E-A-S-E, row 2 reads H-D-L-C-T-L, row 3 reads T-H-E-T-R-A, row 4 reads B-F-A-I-T-I, row 5 reads A-S-I-M-H-T, row 6 reads N-S-I-L-F-O, row 7 reads I-N-O-U-T-R, and row 8 reads S-H-M-E-N-S.
How hard was the January 8 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the January 8, 2026 puzzle lands in the average range — above 30% 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 January 8 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #676 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the January 8 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on January 8, 2026?
The Strands clue for January 8, 2026 is “That's just reality (TV)”, on puzzle #676. It is answered by the spangram THETRAITORS, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on January 8, 2026?
The 5 Strands theme words for January 8, 2026 are BANISHMENT, CASTLE, FAITHFUL, MISSION and SHIELD, plus the spangram THETRAITORS.
What was the big word in the January 8, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for January 8, 2026 is THETRAITORS, 11 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 8, 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 “That's just reality (TV)” mean?
The Strands theme “That's just reality (TV)” for January 8, 2026 means THETRAITORS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands January 8, 2026?
Strands puzzle #676 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the January 8, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #676 rates average on a computed index, harder than 30% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on January 8, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, January 8, 2026 is #676, 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 January 2026, part of the full Strands archive.