The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a word search game in beta mode. Players are presented with a six by eight grid of letters and are tasked with finding a group of words that have something in common. The aim is to discover a set of theme words along with a special word called a spangram, which reveals the commonality between the words. The theme words will remain highlighted in blue once found, while the spangram will be highlighted in yellow.
Players must use each letter once in either a theme word or the spangram. The words can be connected vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, with the possibility of switching directions in the middle of a word. Finding three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme will unlock the Hint button, which highlights the letters of one of the theme words. The game’s difficulty levels may vary each day, with challenges ranging from filling in missing words in a phrase to identifying synonyms or homophones.
The official hint for today’s Strands puzzle is “I love the nightlife,” with an additional clue being “After-dark denizens.” Players are tasked with finding seven theme words related to this hint and the spangram. Today’s spangram is revealed to be “NOCTURNAL,” with the other theme words being “WOMBAT,” “COYOTE,” “LEOPARD,” “AARDVARK,” “SKUNK,” and “OPOSSUM.” Players must locate these words within the grid and determine the common theme among them.
By strategically searching the grid, players can identify the theme words and the spangram without the need for hints. In the case of today’s puzzle, the word “SKUNK” in the bottom right corner indicated a nocturnal animal theme. Players then found “WOMBAT,” the spangram, “OPOSSUM,” “LEOPARD,” “COYOTE,” and “AARDVARK” to complete the puzzle. Utilizing no hints, the spangram was the third theme word discovered.
For future Strands puzzles and solutions, players can refer back to the blog for additional hints and solutions. The game offers a fun and challenging way to engage with words and themes, providing an enjoyable experience for players looking to test their word search skills.
