#837Thursday, June 18, 2026
Strands answers for June 18, 2026 — “Beneath the waves” (#837)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for June 18, 2026 (puzzle #837) is CORALREEF, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Beneath the waves". The 7 theme words are ALGAE, CRAB, FISH, PLANKTON, SEAWEED, SHARK and URCHIN.
Where is each answer on the June 18 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #837 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALGAE | 5 | row 7, column 2 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CRAB | 4 | row 8, column 6 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| FISH | 4 | row 2, column 6 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| PLANKTON | 8 | row 4, column 4 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| SEAWEED | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHARK | 5 | row 3, column 3 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| URCHIN | 6 | row 6, column 4 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| CORALREEF | 9 | row 8, column 3 | row 1, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the June 18 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #837 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 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 F-E-K-T-O-N, row 2 reads R-K-E-N-A-F, row 3 reads A-H-S-R-L-I, row 4 reads E-E-L-P-S-H, row 5 reads D-W-S-A-R-C, row 6 reads A-E-R-U-H-B, row 7 reads E-A-L-O-I-A, and row 8 reads A-G-C-N-R-C.
How hard was the June 18 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #837 as average: it sits at the 48th 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 June 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #837 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Isaac Aronow. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the June 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on June 18, 2026?
The Strands clue for June 18, 2026 is “Beneath the waves”, on puzzle #837. It is answered by the spangram CORALREEF, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on June 18, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for June 18, 2026 are ALGAE, CRAB, FISH, PLANKTON, SEAWEED, SHARK and URCHIN, plus the spangram CORALREEF.
What was the big word in the June 18, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for June 18, 2026 is CORALREEF, 9 letters long, running from row 8, column 3 to row 1, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Beneath the waves” mean?
The Strands theme “Beneath the waves” for June 18, 2026 means CORALREEF — 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 June 18, 2026?
Strands puzzle #837 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the June 18, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #837 rates average on a computed index, harder than 48% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on June 18, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, June 18, 2026 is #837, 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 June 2026, part of the full Strands archive.