Hey there, everyone! The New York Times has a brand new word game to add to your rotation, so I figured I’d start writing about it alongside my Connections and Quordle columns. It’s called Strands. I didn’t play the first game on Monday in time to write about it, but I’m hooked already and raring to go for round two.
How To Play Strands
The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a play on the classic word search. It’s in beta for now, which means it’ll only stick around if enough people play it every day.
The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters. The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you’ll get a clue as to what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.
You’ll also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram links two opposite sides of the board. While the theme words will not be a proper name, the spangram can be a proper name. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.
Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and it’s possible to switch directions in the middle of a word. If you’re playing on a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.
If you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme, you’ll unlock the Hint button. Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.
Be warned: You’ll need to be on your toes.
“Some themes are fill-in-the-blank phrases. They may also be steps in a process, items that all belong to the same category, synonyms or homophones,” The New York Times notes. “Just as she varies the difficulty of Wordle puzzles within a week, [Wordle and Strands editor Tracy] Bennett plans to throw Strands solvers curveballs every once in a while.”
What Is Today’s Strands Hint?
Scroll slowly! Just after the hint for today’s Strands puzzle, I’ll reveal what the answer words are.
The official theme hint for today’s Strand puzzle is…
She’ll have a ball
Need some extra help? Here’s another hint…
Classic folk tale that’s been adapted at least twice by Disney
What Are Today’s Strands Answers?
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Strands answers.
I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid. I’ll then tell you the other words and show you how they fit in.
This is your final warning!
Today’s Strands spangram is…
CINDERELLA
Here’s where you’ll find it on the grid…
The rest of today’s Strands words are…
- DANCE
- SPELL
- PUMPKIN
- MIDNIGHT
- PRINCE
- SLIPPER
Here’s what the completed grid looks like…
I first found DANCE, then three easy hint words in the top right: PELL, SELL and TELL. That hint highlighted the words for SPELL. So, at that point I was pretty sure Cinderella was the theme.
PUMPKIN on the bottom left added more fuel to that fire., then finding MIDNIGHT on the top left made the path of the spangram clear. It was, of course, CINDERELLA. PRINCE on the bottom right and SLIPPER on the center left wrapped up today’s game.
Overall, I used one hint and the spangram was the fifth word I found.
That’s all there is to it for today’s Strands clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Wednesday’s game if you need them.