Strands doesn’t get as much attention as its New York Times sibling games Wordle and Connections, but it’s just as challenging and entertaining. Strands just came out of beta, so it’s now on The New York Times’ official gaming app, which will likely bring it even more fans. I delve into the rules of Strands in this story.
Need more answers? This is the answer to today’s Wordle, and this is the answer to today’s Connections. Can you solve the New York Times mini crossword puzzle? Here are today’s answers.
read more: NYT Connections 1st Anniversary: 5 of the Hardest Puzzles Yet
Hints for today’s Strands puzzle
Today’s topic is: Wear gloves.
If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: It’s not the feet, it’s…
Clue words used to unlock in-game hints
Your goal is to find the hidden words that fit the theme of the puzzle. If you get stuck, find any words you can use. Whenever you find three words of four letters or more, Strands displays one of the themed words. These are the words I used to get these tips, but any word you find with four or more letters will work:
- GRIP, PANE, PARE, PAIL, CUTE, CITE, RITE, NOTE, LITE, MIND, BANK, PINK, POINT, COIN, DUMB, HANK, COTE, TILE, PORT, DRINK, BINK.
Answers to today’s Strands puzzle
These are topic-related answers. The goal of the puzzle is to find all of them, including the spangram, a topic word that extends from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of those letters (I originally thought there were always eight, but later learned the numbers can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the non-Spangram answers:
- Nail, palm, ring, little finger, thumb, middle finger, cuticle, pointer
Today’s Strands spangram
Today’s Strands spangram is On hand. To find it, start with the O five letters down from the far left and loop up.
The New York Times Strands puzzle completed on August 4th.
How to Play The New York Times Strands
1. Use today’s topic to find words related to that topic. See one? Drag or click letters in order. Click the last letter twice to submit your guess. If you find a keyword, it will light up blue and stay that way.
2. Other words you find are considered clues and can give you clues about your topic. Find three clue words (each clue word must be at least four letters) and the game will reward you by showing you the topic word. But if you can’t decipher it, find three more clue words and the game will highlight the letters of the key word in sequence.
3. Look for spangram, a special topic word that spans the entire puzzle, although it can flow from top to bottom or top to bottom. It sums up the puzzle theme.
4. Once completed, you will use each letter on the board in a topic word or spangram. Subject headings fill the entire board and do not overlap.
