NYT Strands Answers January 13: Spangram, clues, theme and solutions revealed for today’s puzzle #680

The New York Times’ expanding roster of daily word games has found another hit in Strands, a puzzle that is quickly gaining traction among fans of Wordle, Connections and the Mini Crossword. With its themed grids and the added challenge of identifying a central “spangram,” Strands has become a regular stop for players looking to test their vocabulary and pattern-recognition skills.

For those tackling puzzle #680 on Tuesday, January 13, the theme and word list offered a frosty twist. Below are gameplay details, hints and the complete NYT Strands Answers for the day, as per a report by Parade magazine.

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is a daily word puzzle available on The New York Times website and app. Unlike traditional crossword-style games, Strands asks players to uncover theme-based words hidden in a grid of letters.


The defining feature of the game is the spangram — a word or phrase that captures the puzzle’s theme and stretches across the board, touching two opposite sides. All theme words together fill the grid entirely, without overlapping.

How to play Strands

According to the New York Times, players must locate theme-related words by dragging or tapping letters in sequence. When using taps, the final letter must be double-tapped to submit a word.

Once found, theme words remain highlighted in blue. The spangram, which may consist of one or two words, appears in yellow. Players can also uncover non-theme words to earn hints, with one hint awarded for every three such words discovered. Hints reveal the position or letter order of a theme word.

Today’s Strands theme and hint

The theme for Tuesday’s puzzle is “You need to chill.” As the title suggests, the words revolve around items commonly associated with cold storage or icy treats.

A general hint for the day’s puzzle is: “Brrrr!”, pointing players toward frozen or refrigerated foods.

NYT Strands Spangram details

For puzzle #680, the spangram is positioned mostly horizontally across the grid, making it slightly easier to identify once players spot the overarching theme.

The confirmed spangram answer for Tuesday, January 13, 2026, is:

FROZENFOOD

This term neatly ties together all the theme words hidden in the grid.

NYT Strands Answers for January 13

Along with the spangram, there are five additional theme words to be found in today’s puzzle. The complete list of NYT Strands Answers is as follows:

• PIZZA
  
• POPSICLES
  
• VEGETABLES
  
• WAFFLES
  
• SHERBET
  
• SPANGRAM: FROZENFOOD
  

Each word fits squarely within the cold-storage theme, reinforcing the puzzle’s central idea.

FAQs

What are today’s NYT Strands Answers for January 13, 2026?

The answers include PIZZA, POPSICLES, VEGETABLES, WAFFLES, SHERBET and the spangram FROZENFOOD.

What is a spangram in NYT Strands?

A spangram is a word or phrase that describes the puzzle’s theme and stretches across two opposite sides of the grid.