Today’s NYT Strands puzzle centers on American geography and mountain ranges.
The theme ‘PEAK AMERICANA’ points players toward names associated with prominent mountain ranges in the United States.
The MOUNTAIN RANGE spangram connects the theme words and reveals the puzzle’s central idea.
The NYT Strands puzzle puts a modern spin on the traditional word search, asking players to find themed words hidden across a 6×8 letter grid. Each puzzle centers on a common idea, while the spangram acts as the key phrase connecting the theme words.
Today’s puzzle revolves around PEAK AMERICANA. While Americana usually refers to American music and culture, today’s theme takes the term in a geographic sense.
The word PEAK is the clue to the kind of geography players should look for. The answers are names associated with major mountain ranges across the United States.
If you are having trouble spotting the words, thinking about famous American mountain ranges can help narrow down the possibilities.
The first two letters of each theme word are:
RO
GR
WH
SA
SM
CA
MO
These opening combinations point toward mountain-range names. Once the geographical theme becomes clear, finding the remaining answers becomes easier.
Today’s spangram is MOUNTAIN RANGE.
The phrase captures the central idea behind the puzzle, with each theme answer representing a mountain range or a name used as part of one. The spangram stretches across the board and helps reveal the connection between the answers.
ROCKY: Pertains to the Rocky Mountains, which is one of the major mountain ranges in North America.
GREEN: Pertains to the Green Mountains, which is a mountain range in Vermont and a part of the Appalachian Mountains.
WHITE: Pertains to the White Mountains, which is a mountain range in New Hampshire and is also a part of the northern Appalachian Mountains.
SAWTOOTH: Pertains to the Sawtooth Range in Idaho.
SMOKY: Pertains to the Great Smoky Mountains, which is a mountain range that runs along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina.
CASCADE: Pertains to the Cascade Range, which is one of the major mountain ranges running from the western United States to Canada.
The NYT Strands puzzle on August 22, 2026, transports puzzlers to American geography with the theme PEAK AMERICANA. The six clues, ROCKY, GREEN, WHITE, SAWTOOTH, SMOKY, and CASCADE, all indicate mountain ranges, while MOUNTAIN RANGE is the spangram. The puzzle may be difficult initially, as ‘Americana’ implies culture, but the word ‘PEAK’ does the trick.