Strands is the New York Times’ newest daily puzzle, offering a fresh twist on the traditional word search. It’s a bit more challenging and requires sharp observation skills to solve.
How to Play Strands
The objective of Strands is to find specific “theme words” hidden within a grid of letters. You can manipulate the letters by dragging or tapping, and once you’ve found a word, double-tap the last letter to lock it in. If the word is part of the puzzle’s theme, the letters will turn blue and won’t be available for future use.
Even if the word you discover isn’t a theme word, it’s still useful! For every three valid words you find (that are at least four letters long), you’ll receive a hint. This hint will reveal letters of one of the theme words, making it easier to unscramble.
Every letter in the puzzle is used exactly once to spell out the theme words — there’s no overlap between words.
Additionally, each Strands puzzle includes a “spangram” — a special theme word that touches two opposite sides of the grid and highlights the overall puzzle theme. When you find it, the spangram will appear yellow.
The goal is to solve the puzzle as quickly as possible while minimizing the use of hints.
Hint for Today’s Strands Puzzle
Today’s theme is “Medieval Marvel”.
Need a little extra help? Here’s a hint: It’s where kings and queens lived.
Today’s NYT Strands Spangram
The spangram for today’s puzzle is: CASTLE
Today’s NYT Strands Answers
If you’re still stuck, here are the rest of today’s theme words:
- TOWER
- WALL
- TURRET
- KEEP
- MOAT
- DRAWBRIDGE
- COURTYARD
Good luck with future puzzles, and remember, every letter counts!