Strands

If you enjoy NYT Wordle but are looking for a more challenging word puzzle game to keep you hooked every morning, then Strands is the way to go. It is a word search game, where the goal is to find every word in the grid that is related to the theme of the day. It’s honestly quite fun to play, and in this read, I will help you understand everything you need to know about NYT Strands.

What is NYT Strands?

NYT Strands is another brain exercise game made by the folks who brought you other popular word games like Wordle and Connections. It is a word search game where the goal is to link letters to find words related to that day’s theme.

But Strands has a unique twist, where links can be made in all directions: up, down, left, right, diagonally, or in a zig-zag pattern. There’s also a secret word that spans the entire grid, leaving your brain guessing for longer. 

How does Strands Game Work?

So how do you play Strand’s game? Each day, you will get a new puzzle with an 8×6 grid of letters and a clue under “Today’s Theme”. Every single letter is part of the strands hint and answer, and you need to find and link the words related to the day’s theme. If you are stuck, then you can try to link random words to fill up the “Hint” meter. 

Once the Hint meter fills up, you can press it to find an answer. You can do it multiple times till you have solved the entire Strands game. 

What is Spangram and How to Find It?

The unique aspect about NY Times Strands is that there is a hidden word called “Spangram” which stretches across the entire grid, either vertically or horizontally, and sums up the entire theme of that day’s Strands game. There’s no special reward for finding the Spangram, but if you spot it early, it can help you complete the puzzle faster by making the words around it more obvious to find. 

How to Play NYT Strands?

The game can be played from the official NYT Strands website. If you like solving word puzzles on mobile, get the NYT Games app, which is available to download on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. With that out of the way, here is how to play the Strands game and win:

• The New York Times Strands has a new puzzle every day, so start by checking on Today’s Theme. This will help you get an idea of which words you need to look for on the grid. 
• The way I approach it is I try to find the Spangram first. It takes up the entire length of the grid; it is easier to spot. It also gives another clue on the type of words I need to find. It also divides the grid, making it easier to spot potential words. 
• I also try to link random words to fill up the Hint bar. This helps me find words that are tough to guess. 
• When the puzzle gets too confusing, you can always come to this page to check out hints and answers to today’s Strands game. 

Following these tricks should let you win most games in NYT Strands, but it’s not the end of the world if you lose some. What matters more is increasing your knowledge each day.

More Games like Strands

Strands is one of the more puzzling games, and I love that aspect about it; it gets fun if you are into these kinds of word-finding games. But if you are looking for more of a challenge, then you are into other similar games by the New York Times. Here is a quick list of games like Strands you can try out: 

• Wordle
• Strands
• Letter Boxed
• Contexto

Each of these is a word game and has its own set of rules and styles. Pick the one that looks the most interesting to you and try it out. So, did our guide answer all your questions related to the Strands puzzle? Let us know in the comments.