Following the success of Wordle and Connections, The New York Times added another puzzle to its “Games” library called Strands. It’s a free-to-play word guessing game, with creative thinking and clever wordplay, keeping you hooked for a new challenge every day. So, whether you’re new to Strands or want to improve your game, this guide will teach you the finest tips and tricks to find strands hint easily.
What is Strands Game?
Even if you haven’t played Strands, I am sure you might have tried your luck with NYT Crosswords. Think of Strands in the same way as it builds upon the existing formula of finding words, based on a faint clue.
Each Strands game starts with a “Today’s Theme” mentioned on the left, with an 8×6 grid on the right containing a random assortment of letters. Your goal is to link each letter with a “Strand” to form a word that is relevant to the theme of that day. On the right, you will also see the number of words you need to find, along with a Hint bar, which we will discuss later.
How to Play NYT Strands?
Strands is available to play on the official NYT website or the NYT Games app. So now that we have given you a general overview about the game, here’s a breakdown on how to play Strands:
- In every Strands game, you will see the clue for the day under “Today’s Theme” and the number of words you need to find.
- You need to find the words that relate to “Today’s theme”. For example, if the theme is “Sweet Tooth”, then the word could be the name of the candy, like “NERDS” or “SOURPATCHKIDS”.
- Begin by scanning the 6×8 grid to search for the words related to the daily theme.
- Once you spot a word, drag your mouse or finger over the letter and link it to the nearby letters to form a word.
- To submit the word, take the mouse or your finger off the last letter.
- If you have successfully guessed the right word, it will be highlighted in blue color (yellow if it is Spangram).
- If you have trouble guessing the words, try filling up the ‘Hint’ bar by connecting 4 letters to form any random word. Clicking on the ‘Hint’ button reveals one word on the grid.
- You can keep using the Hint button any number of times till you solve the Strands Game.
- As you start cracking themed words, the NYT Strands grid will narrow down. We are reaching the Spangram.
- At this point, you will be able to spot the Spangram, which stretches across the entire grid.
- Once you find the word, it will be highlighted in yellow.
- After you have solved all the words in the grid, you win the NYT Strands puzzle.
You can also tap on View Results button available on Strands webpage to get some additional details on how you did for that day’s puzzle.
Key Points for Playing NYT Strands
Find enough words and phrases, and you might start to see the motif of the puzzle called Spangram. This is the most unique word in Strands that stretches across the entire length or width of the grid. Once you have linked all the letters for Spangram, it will be highlighted in yellow.
- It is worth noting that Spangram can show up in many ways.
- It can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, start from the bottom to the top, or start with any random letter on the grid.
- Once you have found all the words for the day, you complete NYT Strands.
- In case you get stuck, NYT Strands gives you a Hint bar to help you out.
- It fills up by guessing any random four-letter word, three times on the grid.
- Once it is full, you can click on it to reveal a random word, circling the relevant characters you will need for one of the main words.
Tips and Tricks to Play NYT Strands
If you really want to become a master in the game, then check out the best tips and tricks for NYT Strands below.
1. There Is No Right Path: There is no single approach to playing the Strands game. If you can’t guess the word, try connecting letters vertically, horizontally, or simply zig-zag your way through it. Who knows, you might be able to accidentally spot the words.
2. Always Start at the Corners: One pro tip that I use for every game is starting at the corners. Since every letter in the Strands grid is important, looking in the corners helps to spot some words or narrow down the ones you couldn’t find before. Be sure to look in all four corners.
3. Spangram for the Win: Only the pro players know that finding the Spangram first is a quick way to victory. Spangram runs across the grid, so finding it early gives you another clue towards solving the NYT Strands. It also divides the grid making making some words visible as well.
4. It’s Okay to Use Hints: As someone with an ego the size of Mt. Everest, I understand if you don’t want help. But there is no shame in getting some help. So, if you find yourself at your wits’ end, tap that hint button to spot that tricky word. Hints will highlight one of the theme words in blue. So, keep guessing unrelated words to get to the Spangram the fastest!
5. Don’t Overthink It: I have often noticed that the more I think, the more complicated the puzzle gets. Moral of the story? Don’t overthink it and try to find the easy solution first. Maybe the Spangram is looking directly at you, and you just need to ease your mind to find it.
6. Be Consistent: The more you do it, the easier it becomes. This applies to NYT Strands, too. I suggest you play NYT Strands every day and keep coming back to build a solid understanding of the game. Once you’ve played enough, you’ll start using fewer hints, and the puzzle will become clockwork.
Now, if you like the game as I do, I’d definitely recommend telling your friends about it. As always, you can check out our daily Strands answers to give yourself a little help. That’s everything you need to know about NYT Strands.
