The NYT Strands puzzle for October 23, 2026, is No. 964. Today’s grid focuses on a specific type of personality trait often associated with the phrase “Mind Your Own Business” or “MYOB.”
If you are struggling to find the theme words or the spangram in the 6×8 grid, these hints will help you narrow down the possibilities without giving everything away immediately.
Theme Hint: ‘None of your beeswax!’
The theme title “None of your beeswax!” is a playful way of telling someone to stay out of your affairs. The words hidden in the grid today are all adjectives or verbs used to describe people who are overly interested in what other people are doing.
Progressive Hints
- Broad Hint: Think about what you call someone who asks too many personal questions or watches their neighbors a little too closely.
- Stronger Hint: One word is a famous cartoon beagle’s name. Another describes the act of secretly listening to a conversation.
- Spangram Hint: This 8-letter word starts with a “B” on the top row and moves diagonally across the board. It is a compound word for a person who meddles in others’ business.
SPOILER WARNING: The final answers and the spangram are listed below. Do not scroll further if you want to keep solving the puzzle on your own.
Strands #964 Answers and Spangram
The spangram for today is BUSYBODY. It begins with the “B” in the first row and winds its way through the center of the grid.
The remaining theme words for puzzle No. 964 are:
- NOSY
- PRYING
- SNOOPY
- INQUISITIVE
- EAVESDROPPING
Word Explanations
All of today’s words are synonyms for being intrusive. EAVESDROPPING is the longest word at 12 letters, requiring you to trace a long path across the grid. SNOOPY and NOSY are shorter, more common descriptors for this behavior, while INQUISITIVE and PRYING range from formal curiosity to unwelcome interference.
