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NYT Strands · Daily Word Puzzle
NYT Strands
Puzzle #745 · March 18, 2026
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Play on NYT NYT Strands · Hints & Answer · Wednesday
#745March 18, 2026 — Today’s Strands Solution
✦ It Follows ✦
Find all the theme words hidden in the 6×8 letter grid — plus the spangram that spans the entire board. Use the hints below before revealing the answers.
Strands grid — hover word cards below to reveal answers
A
F
T
E
R
L
I
F
E
C
Y
C
L
E
P
R
E
S
E
R
V
E
R
S
T
Y
L
E
C
O
A
C
H
N
O
S
S
E
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B
L
O
O
D
N
O
S
S
Theme Words (6)
Spangram — spans entire board
Filler letters
#745 Puzzle Number
6 Words Theme Words
9 Letters Spangram Length
Wordplay Theme Type
Theme Hints
Progressively stronger — no spoilers
01
Today’s theme is a wordplay puzzle — every answer is a word that can follow a specific common word to create a familiar compound word or well-known phrase.
Theme Type
02
The connecting word you’re looking for is a common preposition indicating what comes next — used when describing sequence, time, or what comes behind something.
Structure
03
Think of compound words formed with a short preposition meaning “following” — words like ___cycle, ___blood, ___life all work with the same hidden connecting word.
Connector Clue
04
One answer is a word for a rhythmic recurring sequence — something that goes round and round and comes back to where it started.
Word Clue
05
One answer relates to a type of sporting or lifestyle mentor — someone who guides, trains, and instructs others toward a goal.
Word Clue
06
The spangram — which spans the full board — is a single compound word meaning existence beyond death, perfectly capturing what “after” leads to when combined with another powerful word.
Spangram
All Theme Words
Hover each card to reveal — or scroll for full spoiler
6 theme words + 1 spangram — hover to unblur each word
Word 1 CYCLE After + ___ = AfterCycle After · Cycle Strand
Word 2 PRESERVER After + ___ = Life Preserver After · Preserver Strand
Word 3 STYLE After + ___ = Lifestyle After · Style → Lifestyle Strand
Word 4 COACH After + ___ = Life Coach After · Coach → Life Coach Strand
Word 5 NOSSEL After + ___ — a nautical fitting After · Nossel Strand
Word 6 BLOOD After + ___ = Lifeblood After · Blood → Lifeblood Strand
Puzzle Info
About Today’s Theme
Theme: It Follows — every answer word follows “AFTER” or pairs with “LIFE”
Connection: The hidden linking word is the key — once spotted, all answers lock in
Spangram: A single 9-letter compound word spanning the full board
Difficulty: Medium — the wordplay pattern is satisfying once the connector clicks
Words: Cycle, Preserver, Style, Coach, Nossel, Blood
Connection: The hidden linking word is the key — once spotted, all answers lock in
Spangram: A single 9-letter compound word spanning the full board
Difficulty: Medium — the wordplay pattern is satisfying once the connector clicks
Words: Cycle, Preserver, Style, Coach, Nossel, Blood
How to Play Strands
Goal: Find all theme words hidden in the 6×8 grid
Spangram: One special word or phrase spanning the full board — reveals the theme
Hints: Find non-theme words to earn tokens — 3 tokens highlight a theme word
Directions: Words can go in any direction — up, down, diagonal, backwards
Win: Find all strands and the spangram to complete the puzzle
Spangram: One special word or phrase spanning the full board — reveals the theme
Hints: Find non-theme words to earn tokens — 3 tokens highlight a theme word
Directions: Words can go in any direction — up, down, diagonal, backwards
Win: Find all strands and the spangram to complete the puzzle
Full Answer Reveal
NYT Strands #745 — Full Answer · March 18, 2026
Today’s Theme It Follows ✨ Spangram — spans the full board AFTERLIFE The 9-letter compound that ties everything together — what comes after life, and the word that precedes every theme answer
Word 1 CYCLE After + Cycle → Aftercycle · Life + Cycle → Lifecycle
Word 2 PRESERVER Life + Preserver → Life Preserver (flotation device)
Word 3 STYLE Life + Style → Lifestyle (way of living)
Word 4 COACH Life + Coach → Life Coach (personal mentor)
Word 5 NOSSEL Life + Nossel → Lifenossel (nautical fitting on a ship)
Word 6 BLOOD Life + Blood → Lifeblood (vital essential force)
The hidden connector is LIFE — every answer word follows it to form a compound word or phrase. The spangram AFTERLIFE spans the entire board, tying the theme together: it contains both AFTER (what follows) and LIFE (the connector that precedes all answers). A clever double-layer construction from the NYT Strands team.
More Daily Games — March 18, 2026
Strands #744
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