Today’s NYT Strands puzzle is all about the Academy Awards — the iconic ceremony that honours the very best in film. With the 98th Oscars taking place this weekend, the timing couldn’t be more fitting. Here are all the hints and the full answer list for March 15, 2026.
What Is NYT Strands?
NYT Strands is the New York Times’ elevated word-search game. Find themed words by connecting letters in any direction — up, down, left, right, or diagonally — and every letter in the grid must be used. Each puzzle has a spangram: a word or phrase that captures the day’s theme and spans the entire grid from one side to the other.
Today’s Theme Hint
The hint for March 15, 2026 is: “Best of All”
The words are all related to Academy Award categories. Think about the major honours handed out each year at Hollywood’s biggest night.
Spangram Hint
- Horizontal or vertical? Horizontal
NYT Strands Spangram Answer — March 15, 2026
The spangram for today is: ACADEMY AWARD
ACADEMY AWARD spans the grid horizontally and ties together all the themed answers, each of which represents a category recognised at the annual ceremony.
NYT Strands Word List — March 15, 2026
All answers for today’s puzzle:
- DIRECTOR
- ACTOR
- SOUND
- PICTURE
- SONG
- ACTRESS
Full Puzzle Answers Summary
Today’s theme revolves around Academy Award categories. The spangram ACADEMY AWARD anchors a grid full of prestigious honours: PICTURE refers to the coveted Best Picture award, the most celebrated prize of the night, while DIRECTOR and ACTOR recognise the creative and performance talent behind a film. ACTRESS and SONG round out the list of familiar Oscar categories, and SOUND highlights the technical craftsmanship that often goes unnoticed by casual viewers. Together, every word in the grid maps directly to a category presented at the Academy Awards ceremony.
For yesterday’s puzzle, see our March 13, 2026 NYT Strands hints and answers. You can also browse our archive starting with the March 12, 2026 Strands answers.
Looking for more puzzle help? Try 13, 2026 NYT Connections hints and answers](https://dotwordle.com/march-13-2026-nyt-connections-puzzle-1006-hints-and-answers/) or the March 13, 2026 Wordle hint and answer.