Today’s NYT Strands hints and answers.
Looking for Wednesday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here:
Hey, people! It’s been a pretty quiet week on my end, but I’m gearing up for a few days of video game announcements at Summer Game Fest this weekend. It’s always fun to cover, even if it’s a lot of work. There isn’t much else I’d rather do for a living.
Today’s NYT Strands hints, spangram and answers appear immediately.
How to play strands
The New York Times’ Strands puzzle is a game with the classic word search. It’s currently in beta, which means it will only survive if enough people play it every day.
There’s a new game of it Strands play every day. The game presents you with a grid of six by eight letters. The goal is to find a group of words that have something in common, and you’ll get an idea of what that theme is. When you find a theme word, it will remain highlighted in blue.
You will also need to find a special word called a spangram. This tells you what the words have in common. The spangram connects at least two sides of the board, but may not start or end there. Although the theme words are not a proper noun, the spangram can be a proper noun. When you find the spangram, it will remain highlighted in yellow.
Each letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally and diagonally, and it is 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 will unlock the Hint button. Clicking on this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words.
Be warned: you need to be alert. Sometimes you have to fill in the missing words in a sentence. On other days the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty varies from day to day and the puzzle makers will sometimes try to surprise you.
What’s today’s Strands hint?
Scroll slowly! Just after today’s hint Strands puzzle, I will reveal what the answer words are.
The official theme tip for today Beach puzzle is…
Tidal estimates
Do you need some extra help? Here’s another clue…
Finds on the coastline
There are seven theme words today, including the spangram.
What are today’s answers?
Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to explore today’s information Strands answers.
I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where it is on the grid. I will then tell you the other words and show you how they fit in.
This is your final warning!
Today Strands spangram is…
BEACH COMB
Here you will find it on the schedule…
Screenshot from the New York Times Strands, with the term BEACH COMBING highlighted
The rest of today Strands theme words are…
- STONE
- GLASS
- FOSSIL
- SHELL
- DRIFTWOOD
- BOTTLE
This is what the finished grid looks like…
Completed strand grid for June 6 with the words STONE, GLASS, FOSSIL, BEACH COMBING, SHELL, … [+]
I saw “storms” in the upper right, thinking this was related to the tides. But it wasn’t a theme word, and neither was “tides.” Since I was two-thirds of the way to a theme word at the time, I figured I might as well unlock a hint by finding “loss” on the left rail. That hint gave me the letters for SHELL.
Then I realized I was missing GLASS in the upper right. STONE was right next to it, at the top. FOSSIL was in the gap between rock and shell. Then I saw BOTTLE at the bottom. DRIFTWOOD then left the winding pangram.
I used one clue and the spangram was the last theme word I found.
That’s all it takes for today Strands clues and answers. Make sure to check out my blog for tips and the fix for Friday’s match if you need it.