#26Friday, March 29, 2024
Strands answers for March 29, 2024 — “Pardon my French!” (#26)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for March 29, 2024 (puzzle #26) is LOANWORDS, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Pardon my French!". The 6 theme words are APERITIF, BERET, BUREAU, CHAUFFEUR, CHIC and LIAISON.
Where is each answer on the March 29 Strands board?
The full answer set for puzzle #26 is 6 theme words and one 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APERITIF | 8 | row 4, column 4 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| BERET | 5 | row 2, column 3 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| BUREAU | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| CHAUFFEUR | 9 | row 3, column 1 | row 5, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CHIC | 4 | row 6, column 5 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| LIAISON | 7 | row 5, column 5 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
| LOANWORDS | 9 | row 8, column 3 | row 1, column 3 | bottom to top |
What did the March 29 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 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 E-R-S-I-T-I, row 2 reads T-E-B-D-F-R, row 3 reads C-H-A-O-R-E, row 4 reads U-U-W-A-P-C, row 5 reads R-E-F-N-L-I, row 6 reads B-F-A-I-C-H, row 7 reads R-U-U-O-A-I, and row 8 reads E-A-L-N-O-S.
How hard was the March 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands #26 scores hard on our difficulty index, harder than 86% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 March 29 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #26 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 March 29 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on March 29, 2024?
The Strands clue for March 29, 2024 is “Pardon my French!”, on puzzle #26. It is answered by the spangram LOANWORDS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on March 29, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for March 29, 2024 are APERITIF, BERET, BUREAU, CHAUFFEUR, CHIC and LIAISON, plus the spangram LOANWORDS.
What was the big word in the March 29, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for March 29, 2024 is LOANWORDS, 9 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 “Pardon my French!” mean?
The Strands theme “Pardon my French!” for March 29, 2024 means LOANWORDS — 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 March 29, 2024?
Strands puzzle #26 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the March 29, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #26 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 86% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on March 29, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, March 29, 2024 is #26, 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 March 2024, part of the full Strands archive.