New York Times daily puzzle hints released for June 26‑27, 2026

The New York Times published its daily Strands word‑puzzle on June 26, 2026 with the spangram **BILLYGOATSGRUFF** and a theme of a hungry troll threatening “I’ll gobble you up!”. Theme words included PASS, HORNS, THREE, TROLL, BRIDGE and BROTHERS. The following day, June 27, 2026, the Strands spangram was **APARTMENTS** and the hint “SUITE RE‑LEASE”, with themed words such as LOFT, STUDIO, EFFICIENCY, FLAT, CONDO, PENTHOUSE.

On June 26, 2026 the Times’ Connections puzzle offered four categories – crunchy snacks, various amounts of wood, low‑ground areas and colors plus a letter – with solutions CHIP, CRACKER, NUT, PRETZEL; BOARD, LOG, SPLINTER, TREE; DALE, DELL, GORGE, HOLLOW; BRONZER, PINKY, REDO, TANG. The June 27, 2026 Connections: Soccer Edition, created for the 2026 World Cup, featured categories identified by color: Yellow – CROATIA (World‑Cup‑final‑never‑won teams); Green – DEL REY (Copa _____); Blue – CONTE (Premier‑League‑winning Italian coaches); Purple – WEAH (father‑son soccer players).