#842Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Strands answers for June 23, 2026 — “A whole new world” (#842)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for June 23, 2026 (puzzle #842) is MINECRAFT, a 9-letter answer to the theme "A whole new world". The 7 theme words are ARMOR, BLOCK, BUILDING, FOOD, PORTAL, STORAGE and TOOL.
Where is each answer on the June 23 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #842 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARMOR | 5 | row 7, column 3 | row 5, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| BLOCK | 5 | row 3, column 3 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| BUILDING | 8 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 6 | top to bottom |
| FOOD | 4 | row 1, column 1 | row 2, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| PORTAL | 6 | row 1, column 6 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| STORAGE | 7 | row 8, column 5 | row 7, column 2 | right to left |
| TOOL | 4 | row 6, column 4 | row 6, column 1 | right to left |
| MINECRAFT | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 2, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the June 23 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 — 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-O-T-R-O-P, row 2 reads O-D-A-L-F-T, row 3 reads C-K-B-R-A-I, row 4 reads O-L-E-C-U-L, row 5 reads M-I-N-R-B-D, row 6 reads L-O-O-T-O-I, row 7 reads G-E-A-R-M-N, and row 8 reads A-R-O-T-S-G.
How hard was the June 23 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #842 as easy: it sits at the 10th 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 23 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #842 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 June 23 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on June 23, 2026?
The Strands clue for June 23, 2026 is “A whole new world”, on puzzle #842. It is answered by the spangram MINECRAFT, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on June 23, 2026?
The 7 Strands theme words for June 23, 2026 are ARMOR, BLOCK, BUILDING, FOOD, PORTAL, STORAGE and TOOL, plus the spangram MINECRAFT.
What was the big word in the June 23, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for June 23, 2026 is MINECRAFT, 9 letters long, running from row 5, column 1 to row 2, 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 “A whole new world” mean?
The Strands theme “A whole new world” for June 23, 2026 means MINECRAFT — 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 23, 2026?
Strands puzzle #842 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the June 23, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #842 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 10% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on June 23, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, June 23, 2026 is #842, 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.