Today's NYT Strands hints and answers.
Looking for Tuesday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:
Hello, folks! I hope you’re having a smashing 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...
This is a puzzle
Need some extra help? Here’s another hint...
Quite the mindboggler.
There are six 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...
BRAINTEASERS
Here’s where you’ll find it on the grid...
New York Times Strands screenshot, showing the highlighted term BRAINTEASERS.
The rest of today’s Strands theme words are...
- ENIGMA
- RIDDLE
- QUANDARY
- CONUNDRUM
- MYSTERY
Here’s what the completed grid looks like...
Completed Strands grid for April 24 featuring the words ENIGMA, BRAINTEASERS, RIDDLE, QUANDARY, ... [+]
Hmmm, quite the cryptic theme today. DINE and DIRE in the top right and MAGE in the top left unlocked a hint, which gave me RIDDLE in the top right. In the opposite corner, I found a MYSTERY.
I found ENIGMA running up the left rail, then CONUNDRUM in the bottom right. QUANDARY emerged in the middle, then the spangram to complete the grid.
The path of the spangram is pretty intriguing. It starts at the bottom and kisses the right side and the top before bending back toward the middle. So for future reference, it’s worth bearing in mind that while the spangram might touch at least two edges, it won’t necessarily start or end on one.
Overall, I used one hint and the spangram was the final 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 Thursday’s game if you need them.
