Daily Strands Puzzle Guide
To conveniently revisit our Strands tips each day, you can save this link. The page also contains our previous hints, perfect for catching up on any puzzles you may have missed.
Here, you will find subtle clues for today’s Strands puzzle. If you scroll down further, you’ll discover the spangram and complete answers. Take your time and glean only the hints you need!
Spangram Hint for Today’s Puzzle
This is a sort of puzzle linked to something the New York Times is renowned for, but if the term is split into two, it carries a different significance.
Theme Words Hint for Today’s Puzzle
A creature that emits a “grr” sound is likely experiencing one of these feelings.
WARNING: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Puzzle!
The answers to today’s Strands puzzle follow.
What is today’s spangram?
The spangram for today is CROSSWORD.
What are today’s theme words?
The theme words include: CRANKY, VEXED, SURLY, PEEVED, GRUMPY, IRKED, TOUCHY.
Here’s how the completed board appears:
Solving Today’s Strands
Initially, I suspected this puzzle would involve animal noises, such as “growl” or “snarl.” Let’s investigate.
LEER does not align with the theme. An “EXC” stands out in the center, suggesting a possible contribution to a word.
Discovering the theme word SURLY at the top was a breakthrough. 🔵 It seems to be emotions tied to anger or annoyance.
CRANKY appeared in the upper left corner. 🔵 All right, let’s hunt for additional words related to dissatisfaction or irritation.
Further on, GRUMPY is located in the bottom left. 🔵
TOUCHY can be found in the bottom right. 🔵
PEEVED sits under SURLY. 🔵
After some effort, I came across VEXED. 🔵
Ah, the spangram is revealed: CROSSWORD. 🟡 Quite clever! (Cross as in “angry” words?)
Lastly, I discovered IRKED. 🔵
Strands #380 “Grrr” 🔵🔵🔵🔵 🔵🔵🟡🔵
How to Play Strands
The Strands game is accessible on the New York Times website and via the NYT Games app.
Upon starting the game, you’ll see a board filled with letters accompanied by a clue that hints at the theme—often a phrase like “Better with age.” Your task is to uncover words that align with the theme hidden within the assortment of letters.
A Fusion of Crossword and Word Search
The primary word to unearth is the “spangram,” which directly expresses the theme of the puzzle. For instance, if the theme is “Better with age,” the spangram would be FERMENTED, describing items that indeed, are better as time passes. The spangram spans across the board either horizontally or vertically, making identification crucial. Once located, it will be highlighted in yellow, allowing for easier completion of the remaining puzzle.
In Strands, words can be arranged in any direction (up, down, left, right, and diagonally), and each letter may only be used once. There is one correct answer per puzzle. Correctly identifying a word (for instance, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI) results in its highlighting in blue.
If you’re having trouble solving, you may input non-theme words of four or more letters to earn hints. Submitting three valid words will enable the “Hint” option, allowing you to reveal all letters of one theme word, although these letters must still be connected in the correct order. Additionally, if you request another hint without solving a previously hinted word, the letter order for that word will be disclosed.
Winning at Strands
Unlike other games such as Connections and Wordle, failing is not an option in Strands. Each guess results in either a correct answer, hint credit, or a shake indicating an invalid entry or insufficient length. There is no limit to the number of guesses allowed, nor is time a constraint.
Victory comes when every letter on the board has been used, confirming the identification of both the spangram and all theme words. Upon solving the puzzle, players will receive a shareable performance card displaying their results: blue dots 🔵 for theme words, a yellow dot 🟡 for the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 for words that received hints.
