Credit: Strands/NYT

Hint for the Spangram in Today’s Strands Puzzle

A two-word phrase synonymous with “large,” which can also be used humorously towards someone overconfident, appears here. (This phrase is also part of this song.)

Hints for Today’s Theme Words

Strands features characters and expressions that all start with a synonym for “large.”

Caution: Spoilers Ahead for Today’s Strands Puzzle!

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

Today’s Spangram

The spangram for this round is BIGSTUFF.

Today’s Theme Words

The identified theme words are: SPENDER, CHEESE, PICTURE, LEAGUES, BREAK, FOOT, BIRD.

Below is the completed board for reference:

Credit: Strands/NYT

Strategy for Solving Today’s Strands

The word “large” appears to be central to the theme, possibly indicating notable characters from popular culture. A quick glance reveals SUGAR at the edge—not a relevant term.

Found at the bottom right, the word BIRD is established as one of the theme words! 🔵 It brings to mind Big Bird from Sesame Street, suggesting that many of these entries could be “big” personas.

Above BIRD lies (Big) FOOT. 🔵

On the left, CHEESE stands out. 🔵 The term “big CHEESE” often refers to someone with significant influence.

The letters of BIG ascend from the base of the board, leading to the spangram BIGSTUFF being uncovered. 🟡

SPENDER resides in the upper left quadrant. 🔵 This relates to the classic song “Hey Big Spender” here!

The word PICTURE is positioned along the spangram’s right edge. 🔵

BREAK is highlighted above FOOT. 🔵

Ultimately, LEAGUES rounds out the entries. 🔵

Strands #361
“Living large”
🔵🔵🔵🟡
🔵🔵🔵🔵

How to Engage in Strands

The Strands game can be accessed via the New York Times website or through the NYT Games application.

Upon launching the game, players will encounter a grid filled with letters and a clue that hints at the theme—usually articulated as a phrase, like “Better with age.” The task is to identify the concealed words that align with the theme within the grid.

A Fusion of Crossword and Word Search

At the core of the game lies the spangram, which more directly conveys the theme of the puzzle. For instance, in the “Better with age” theme, the spangram is FERMENTED, indicating products that fit that description. The spangram spans the entire grid either horizontally or vertically. Discovering the spangram typically facilitates easier completion of the remaining puzzle elements.

Words in Strands can be arranged in any direction (up, down, sideways, or diagonally), and each letter may only be used once. There is just one correct answer. When players identify a word correctly (like KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it changes color to blue.

Should players find themselves stuck, submitting any non-theme words with four letters or more can earn them credits towards a hint. Three such submissions unlock the “Hint” button, allowing players to highlight all letters of one theme word. They will still need to arrange the highlighted letters correctly to form a valid word. If hints have already been used, new hints can reveal the correct order for any letter that remains unclaimed.

Achieving Victory in Strands

Unlike other games like Connections or Wordle, there’s no possibility of failing in Strands. Each submitted answer will either be correct, earn hint credits, or shake in rejection if the input is too brief or not valid. There are no limited guesses or time constraints.

Victory is achieved when all letters of the board have been utilized, meaning the spangram and theme words have all been identified. Similar to other NYT games, upon completing the puzzle, a shareable card displays performance, with blue dots 🔵 indicating the found theme words, a yellow dot 🟡 showing the discovered spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 representing hints received.