Work through the levels. Reveal the Spangram only when you’re truly ready.
Today’s clue: “All in a day's work”
A gentle direction — no specifics.
Closer — the category is coming into focus.
Near-direct — only read if you’re stuck.
Direction only.
Getting closer.
Near-direct.
6 theme words — lengths in random order
Spaces not counted in total
All theme words — shuffled
These words fit the theme on the surface, but aren’t part of today’s solution. Knowing them ahead of time can save you minutes of searching.
A broad work synonym tied closely to the clue, but the set names individual items, not the overall effort.
It fits the workday framing, yet the theme is about separate obligations rather than a position.
A familiar slang term for daily work, but the actual entries are neutral, concrete labels.
The clue might suggest employment at large, while the board stays at the level of specific duties.
a textbook decoy
Most of the difficulty comes from the clue being a familiar idiom rather than a precise category label, so it is easy to look for careers, job titles, or figurative work language before accepting the plain synonym set. Once TASK or DUTY is placed, the rest of the theme—ASSIGNMENT, CHORE, ERRAND, and PROJECT—locks into place because all six are just variations of 'a thing you have to do.' PARTOFTHEJOB is a late-breaking confirmation rather than a hard find: its 12 letters stretch across the board, but the phrase is so common that it reads instantly once the theme emerges. The slight trip-up is that ASSIGNMENT and PROJECT feel more formal while CHORE and ERRAND feel more home-bound, so the group seems less cohesive than it actually is.
The clue leans on the idiom 'all in a day's work,' which people use to wave off effort or hassle as just another normal part of the routine. That was really a double clue: it framed the six answer words—ASSIGNMENT, CHORE, DUTY, ERRAND, PROJECT, and TASK—and it also pointed straight at the spangram, PARTOFTHEJOB. The 'aha' is how literal the phrase becomes after the fact; almost every word on the board is something you might shrug off exactly that way.
Tracy Bennett picked words that span the entire range of daily obligations rather than one office or home register. ASSIGNMENT and PROJECT lean formal; CHORE and ERRAND are practical and domestic; DUTY and TASK are the neutral glue. PARTOFTHEJOB then reframes all six as ordinary components of a routine, which is why the set feels like familiar vocabulary rather than a specialized list. That balance is the puzzle's real elegance.
