Today’s NYT Strands hint & answers: clues for May 5, 2026

Our guide to help you with the Strands #793 puzzle

Updated: May 5, 2026 11:54 am

Table of Contents
Table of Contents

Today’s theme connects quickly once you spot the common link, though some words may take a moment to surface.

If you’re struggling to make sense of the grid, the clues below should point you in the right direction while letting you solve as much as possible yourself. This guide helps you with the Strands #793 puzzle released on May 5, 2026.

What is today’s NYT Strands theme? (May 5, 2026)

The theme for today’s Strands is:

The words are all related to features and parts of a timeteller, specifically elements of an alarm clock or radio clock.

Today’s puzzle difficulty

Today’s puzzle leans toward the medium side. Players can get slowed down by the overlapping letters and the need to connect the theme to everyday wake-up devices, especially if they start by hunting longer words first.

Strands hints for today

Here are a few clues to help guide you toward today’s answers:

• One word refers to hitting the button for a few more minutes of sleep.
• Another points to the part of the device that shows the numbers.
• A third describes the component that picks up stations on a bedside radio.

If you want a bit more help, here are the first two letters of each word: SN, DI, TU, AL, RA, TI, DA

Spangram hints

Here are a few hints to help you find the spangram:

• It describes the modern type of clock that replaced many old-school analog models.
• The word spans vertically across the grid.
• It serves as the central example that ties the entire theme together.
• Look for a two-word phrase totaling 12 letters that covers a wide vertical path.

Today’s Strands answers (May 5, 2026)

If you’re ready to see the full solution, here are all of today’s theme words, with the spangram at the end in bold:

• SNOOZE
• DISPLAY
• TUNER
• ALARM
• RADIO
• TIME
• DATE

Is Strands harder than Wordle?

Strands can often feel more challenging than Wordle because there’s more to solve across the full grid. Spotting the theme is usually the hardest part. Once the theme clicks, everything tends to fall into place more quickly.