For easy daily access to Strands hints, bookmark this page. You can also scroll through previous hints to catch up on any puzzles you might have missed.

Below are some subtle hints aimed at today’s Strands answers. Further down, the full answers and the spangram will be disclosed. Take your time as you scroll and select only the hints you find necessary!

Spangram Hint for Today’s Puzzle

Think of a two-word term referring to apex animals that dominate their ecosystems.

Hint for Today’s Thematic Vocabulary

Consider various carnivorous creatures, both present-day and extinct, that prey on others.

WARNING: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Puzzle!

The answers to today’s Strands puzzle are about to be unveiled.

Today’s Spangram

The spangram for today’s challenge is APEXPREDATORS.

Today’s Thematic Answers

The words that define today’s theme include: TYRANNOSAURUS, LION, HUMAN, ORCA, and CROCODILE.

Here’s how the completed board appears:

Credit: Strands/NYT

Strategies for Solving Today’s Strands

The theme for today suggests a focus on top predators in the animal kingdom, such as eagles and tigers.

Noticing the words PREDATOR and PREDATORY moving horizontally indicates these might serve as spangram components. The spangram appears prominently vertically: APEXPREDATORS. 🟡

CROCODILE shows up in the upper right portion of the board. 🔵

Meanwhile, TYRANNOSAURUS snakes from the upper left toward the center of the board. 🔵

Though RHINO is discernible, it doesn’t belong to the theme—it aligns with being dangerous while primarily being herbivorous.

The word LION is positioned along the lower left corner of the spangram. 🔵

HUMAN is placed just left of LION. 🔵 (Destructive tendencies noted, indeed.)

And in conclusion, ORCA can be spotted. 🔵

Strands #363
“Let us prey”
🟡🔵🔵🔵
🔵🔵

Getting Started with Strands

The Strands game is available on the New York Times website and within the NYT Games application.

Upon entering the game, a grid filled with letters appears alongside a clue hinting at the theme—this often takes the form of a phrase like “Better with age.” Your challenge is to uncover hidden words that resonate with the themed puzzle.

A Unique Blend of Crossword and Word Search

The pivotal word to seek out is the “spangram,” which directly encapsulates the theme. For instance, within a puzzle centered around aging, the spangram could be FERMENTED, capturing the essence of things that improve with time. The spangram will cover the board entirely from either the horizontal or vertical axis. Identifying this word accurately can significantly simplify the remainder of the puzzle.

In the Strands game, words can be formed in any direction: vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and each letter can only be utilized once. There is a singular correct solution to each puzzle. When a word is correctly identified, it will illuminate in blue.

If a challenge arises while solving, any non-theme word consisting of four or more letters can be submitted for a single hint. Entering three non-theme words will enable the “Hint” button, which allows access to highlighted letters from one of the theme words. Although, one must still arrange these highlighted letters correctly to form the appropriate word. Should there already be a hint visible on the board, using an additional hint will unveil the order of letters in that word.

Winning Strands

Unlike games such as Connections or Wordle, Strands ensures that failure is not an option. When guesses are entered, they either yield a correct answer, contribute towards earning hints, or respond with a shaking motion if the input is invalid. As there is no risk of running out of guesses or facing a time constraint, players can enjoy a stress-free experience.

Victory is achieved once all board letters are used accurately, indicating that both the spangram and all thematic words have been identified. Like other NYT games, upon completion, players receive a shareable card summarizing their performance, represented by blue dots 🔵 for theme words, yellow for the spangram 🟡, and lightbulbs 💡 for any words that were revealed via hints.