Below are some subtle clues to help you with today’s Strands answers. Continue scrolling for the definitive spangram and answers. Take your time and only absorb the hints you need!

Credit: Strands/NYT

Hint for the Spangram

A term describing the figures we connect among stars, frequently utilized in navigation and storytelling.

Clue for the Thematic Words

Distinct images perceived in the night sky. (Consider the visual representations rather than their formal titles.)

SPOILER ALERT: Answers Ahead!

Answers to today’s Strands puzzle are forthcoming.

What is the Spangram?

The spangram for today is CONSTELLATIONS.

What are the Thematic Words?

The words reflecting today’s theme include: HUNTER, SWAN, MAIDEN, CENTAUR, DIPPER, CROSS.

Here’s how the completed board appears:

Credit: Strands/NYT

Participating in Strands

The Strands game is available on the New York Times website and through the NYT Games app.

Upon initiation, you’ll encounter a game grid filled with letters, accompanied by a clue that hints at the overarching theme—this will be a phrase similar to “Better with age.” Your task is to uncover the hidden words related to this theme within the letter arrangement.

Combining Crossword and Word Search

The key word to hunt for is the “spangram,” which directly articulates the theme of the puzzle. (For instance, in the puzzle with the theme “Better with age,” the spangram is FERMENTED, describing items that indeed improve over time.) This spangram will stretch across the entire grid, either horizontally or vertically, thus its designation. Identifying the spangram typically simplifies the remainder of the puzzle significantly.

In Strands, words may be arranged in any direction (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally), and each letter can only be utilized once. A single valid solution exists. When a word is correctly identified (such as KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it will be highlighted in blue.

If struggling to find solutions, submission of any non-theme words with four letters or more will earn you credit toward a hint. After submitting three non-theme words, the hint option becomes accessible; clicking it will highlight letters in one of the theme words. However, the highlighted letters will still need to be connected in the right order to form the corresponding theme word. If an existing hint is utilized for the same word before solving it, the order of letters for that word will be disclosed.

Winning Strands

Unlike Connections or Wordle, Strands allows for endless attempts without failure. When submitting guesses, responses will either confirm a correct answer, yield credit toward a hint, or a shake will indicate failure due to the word being invalid or too short. No limit exists on guesses, nor a time constraint.

Victory is achieved when every letter on the board has been correctly used, meaning the spangram and all thematic words have been identified. Similar to other NYT games, upon completing the puzzle, a shareable card reflecting your performance is displayed: blue dots 🔵 represent theme words found, a yellow dot 🟡 indicates the discovery of the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 shows words for which hints were given.