Strands is the latest puzzle game from the New York Times, offering a fun twist on the classic word search. You’ll need to keep your eyes peeled and your brain sharp to tackle this challenge!
How to Play Strands
Each Strands puzzle starts with a grid filled with letters, and your goal is to uncover the hidden “theme words.” You can drag or tap the letters to form words, and just double-tap the last letter to confirm your selection. When you find a correct word, those letters will turn blue and can’t be selected again.
But don’t worry if you stumble upon words that aren’t part of the theme. Finding three non-theme words (that are at least four letters long) earns you a hint: a letter from one of the theme words will be revealed, and you’ll need to unscramble it.
The cool thing about Strands is that every letter in the grid is used to spell out the theme words, and there’s no overlap—each letter appears only once.
Also, every puzzle includes a “spangram,” which is a special word (or words) that connects two opposite sides of the board and relates to the overall theme. When you find the spangram, it will be highlighted in yellow.
Your goal is to solve the puzzle quickly while using as few hints as possible!
Hint for Today’s NYT Strands Puzzle
Today’s theme is “Gnaw-it-alls,” which refers to animals that love to chew on everything. If you’re stuck, keep that in mind!
Today’s NYT Spangram and Answers
We’ll start by giving you the spangram, which might help you figure out the theme and tackle the rest of the puzzle:
Spangram: RODENTS
Here are today’s answers for the Strands puzzle:
- HAMSTER
- MUSKRAT
- PORCUPINE
- SQUIRREL
- CHINCHILLA