#802Thursday, May 14, 2026
Strands answers for May 14, 2026 — “Men in tights” (#802)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 14, 2026 (puzzle #802) is ROBINHOOD, a 9-letter answer to the theme "Men in tights". The 6 theme words are ARCHERY, DISGUISE, FOREST, FRIAR, OUTLAW and SHERIFF.
Where is each answer on the May 14 Strands board?
Strands #802 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram ROBINHOOD.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARCHERY | 7 | row 2, column 5 | row 3, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| DISGUISE | 8 | row 8, column 4 | row 7, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| FOREST | 6 | row 5, column 1 | row 5, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| FRIAR | 5 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| OUTLAW | 6 | row 1, column 2 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHERIFF | 7 | row 5, column 3 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| ROBINHOOD | 9 | row 4, column 1 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 14 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #802 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 U-O-H-O-O-D, row 2 reads T-A-N-R-A-R, row 3 reads L-W-I-Y-E-C, row 4 reads R-O-B-H-E-H, row 5 reads F-T-S-F-I-R, row 6 reads O-S-R-F-S-I, row 7 reads R-E-A-E-U-G, and row 8 reads F-R-I-D-I-S.
How hard was the May 14 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #802 as easy: it sits at the 23th 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 May 14 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #802 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 May 14 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 14, 2026?
The Strands clue for May 14, 2026 is “Men in tights”, on puzzle #802. It is answered by the spangram ROBINHOOD, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 14, 2026?
The 6 Strands theme words for May 14, 2026 are ARCHERY, DISGUISE, FOREST, FRIAR, OUTLAW and SHERIFF, plus the spangram ROBINHOOD.
What was the big word in the May 14, 2026 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 14, 2026 is ROBINHOOD, 9 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 1, 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 “Men in tights” mean?
The Strands theme “Men in tights” for May 14, 2026 means ROBINHOOD — 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 May 14, 2026?
Strands puzzle #802 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 14, 2026 Strands puzzle?
Strands #802 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 23% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 14, 2026?
The Strands puzzle published on Thursday, May 14, 2026 is #802, 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 May 2026, part of the full Strands archive.