NYT Strands hints and answers for Monday, October 12 (game #953)

The New York Times has released the daily puzzle for its popular word game, Strands, for Monday, October 12, 2026. Game #953 features the theme 'In a manner of speaking,' focusing on linguistic terminology. The solution includes words such as PARLANCE, JARGON, VERNACULAR, LINGO, and DIALECT, with the spangram identified as TURNOFPHRASE. Players can utilize hint words like SLING, RANGER, FOUL, GONE, LONG, and RACON to navigate the board. The game, which has become a staple in the NYT Games portfolio alongside Wordle and Connections, continues to challenge users with its unique grid-based word search mechanics. This edition is considered relatively straightforward, though it requires careful letter arrangement to uncover the central spangram. Enthusiasts looking for additional assistance or historical data can access the full archive of daily solutions on the official NYT Games platform.