Strands · No. 957 · Friday, October 16, 2026

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers: #957, Friday, October 16

Today’s theme clue is “Just a little bit”. Hints for the theme and the spangram, one step at a time.

By DailyWordHint editors · Published Thu, Oct 15, 8:19 PM ET · Puzzle by Tracy Bennett for The New York Times

Play along

0 of 7 theme words found

Today’s themeJust a little bit

Every 3 non-theme words you find earn a hint.

0 of 8 hints used

The theme6 words

NudgeReveal nudge

Squint. Then squint again. Things keep shrinking.

HintReveal hint

Most belong under a microscope — biology, chemistry, skin — and one is an adjective about precision.

One wordReveal one word

One theme word: MOLECULE

AnswerReveal answer

Theme words: AMOEBA, ATOM, FOLLICLE, MITE, MOLECULE, PINPOINT

The spangramTouches two sides

NudgeReveal nudge

Six handshakes link any two strangers, they say.

HintReveal hint

Network scientists borrowed this everyday two-word exclamation for graphs where far-apart nodes connect in surprisingly few steps.

One wordReveal one word

S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D (10 letters)

AnswerReveal answer

SMALLWORLD

Hints drafted with AI and checked automatically for spoilers. How we write hints