Strands, a word puzzle game from The New York Times, may not be as popular as its sibling games Wordle and Connections, but it offers a challenging and entertaining experience. Recently moving out of beta, Strands has now found a spot in the official New York Times Games app, potentially attracting more players. The game involves finding theme words relating to a specific topic, as well as hint words that provide clues to the theme words. By completing the puzzle, players will have used every letter on the board in either a theme word or a special theme word called a spangram.
To play Strands, players must use the theme of the day to search for words related to that topic. By clicking or dragging the letters in order and submitting their guess by clicking the last letter twice, players can uncover theme words. Additionally, finding hint words with at least four letters each will lead players closer to uncovering the theme words. The ultimate goal is to find the spangram, a special theme word that spans the entire puzzle either horizontally or vertically and summarizes the puzzle theme. At the end of the game, all letters on the board will be used without any overlaps in theme words.
For the daily Strands puzzle, players are given a theme to search for specific words related to that topic. If players are stuck, they can find any words they can and, after finding three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words as a hint. Various words such as FUEL, RIFF, HEYS, STALE, TALE, and more can unlock in-game hints for the players. By using these clues, players can progress through the puzzle and uncover all the theme words and the spangram related to the theme of the day, such as “Boots and saddles” with hint words like DUEL, HORSE, BOUNTY, and more.
In the completed Strands puzzle for the day, players will have found all the theme words and the spangram, a word that stretches across the entire board from one side to the other. The goal is to find and use all the letters on the board in the theme words without any overlaps. For example, answers for a specific puzzle may include words like DUEL, HORSE, BOUNTY, COWBOY, OUTLAW, SALOON, and SHERIFF. By uncovering these words and the spangram word that summarizes the theme, players can successfully complete the puzzle for the day and enhance their word puzzle-solving skills.
Overall, Strands offers a unique and engaging word puzzle experience that challenges players to uncover theme words based on a specific topic. With the addition of hint words and a special spangram word that summarizes the theme, players must strategically search for words that fit the puzzle’s theme and use every letter on the board. As Strands gains recognition within The New York Times Games app, players can enjoy a variety of daily puzzles that test their word-finding abilities and provide a satisfying challenge.
