Today's NYT Strands hints and answers.
Looking for Wednesday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:
Hey, everyone! I hope you’re having an excellent week so far.
Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers are coming right up.
How To Play Strands
The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It’s in beta for now, which means it’ll only stick around if enough people play it every day.
There’s a new game of Strands to play every day. The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you’ll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.
You’ll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links at least two sides of the board, but it may not start or end there. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.
Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and it’s possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If you’re playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.
If you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, you’ll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.
Be warned: You’ll need to be on your toes. Sometimes you’ll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase. On other days, the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty will vary from day to day, and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes.
What Is Today’s Strands Hint?
Scroll slowly! Just after the hint for today’s Strands puzzle, I’ll reveal what the answer words are.
The official theme hint for today’s Strand puzzle is...
Better together
Need some extra help? Here’s another hint...
Delectable companions
There are seven theme words to find today, including the spangram.
What Are Today’s Strands Answers?
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Strands answers.
I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid. I’ll then tell you the other words and show you how they fit in.
This is your final warning!
Today’s Strands spangram is...
COMBO MEALS
Here’s where you’ll find it on the grid...
New York Times Strands screenshot, showing the highlighted term COMBO MEALS.
The rest of today’s Strands theme words are...
- MACARONI
- BISCUITS
- BURGER
- COMBO MEALS
- GRAVY
- FRIES
- CHEESE
Here’s what the completed grid looks like...
Completed Strands grid for June 26 featuring the words MACARONI, BISCUITS, BURGER, COMBO MEALS, ... [+]
My first instinct was to look for things that usually come in pairs, even though I think that’s been a Strands theme before. However, spotting GRAVY in the bottom right corner made me question that. Sure, enough, BISCUITS in the top right made me realize we’re literally looking for two things that go together.
I then found CHEESE at the bottom, but that pairs well with all kinds of things! I didn’t see the letters for “crackers” or “wine” anywhere, though. FRIES in the bottom left made me think BURGER was somewhere on the grid. Sure enough, I found it seconds later. That helped the spangram stand out, leaving MACARONI (which makes for a truly wonderful pairing for cheese) for victory.
Oddly enough, I had mac and cheese for dinner one night this week.
I didn’t need any hints to complete this grid and had a perfect game. The spangram was the sixth theme word I found.
That’s all there is to it for today’s Strands clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Friday’s game if you need them.