Reference
How do you play NYT Strands?
You play NYT Strands by tracing words through a grid of 48 letters until you have found every answer that fits the day’s theme, plus one longer answer called the spangram. Letters connect in any direction including diagonally, no letter may be used twice inside one word, and when the puzzle is complete every letter on the board has been used exactly once.
How do you enter a word in Strands?
You enter a word by dragging through its letters, or by tapping them one at a time and then tapping the last letter twice. Adjacent means any of the eight neighbouring squares, so a word may turn as often as it likes — ONEOFAKIND on August 3, 2026 changes direction 3 times on its way across the board.
Today’s grid: six columns wide, eight rows deep, 48 letters in total.
What counts as a theme word?
A theme word is any answer that belongs to the day’s theme, and it turns blue when you find it. The number varies by puzzle — most days carry between five and eight — and the game shows you how many are left rather than what they are.
What does the spangram do?
The spangram is the one answer that names the theme outright and touches two opposite sides of the grid, top-to-bottom or left-to-right. It turns yellow instead of blue. Finding it early is the single most useful thing you can do, because it both tells you what the theme really means and splits the remaining letters into smaller regions.
How does the hint system work in Strands?
Every ordinary English word of four letters or more that you find on the board, and that is not a theme word, adds one to the hint counter. Three of them earn one hint. Spending a hint highlights the letters of one theme word on the grid — it does not spell the word out, so you still have to trace it in the right order. There is no penalty for using hints and no limit on how many you can earn.
Which non-theme words are worth hunting on any given day is worked out on the hint-system page, and today’s six are listed on the front page.
How does a Strands puzzle end?
A Strands puzzle ends when every letter on the board has been used by an answer. There is no clock, no guess limit and no way to lose — the game simply stays open until you finish it or stop. Because the answers tile the board perfectly, a stray unused letter is proof that one of your answers is wrong.
Can you play previous Strands puzzles?
Previous puzzles are available through the official New York Times Games archive, which requires a subscription. The theme, spangram, answers and verified board positions of every puzzle published since March 2024 are recorded free here in the Strands archive.
What is the fastest way to get better?
The tactics that actually shorten a solve — reading the clue as a pun before reading it literally, hunting the spangram first, and working the corners — are set out in how to solve Strands faster. If you are new to the game itself, start with what NYT Strands is.
Questions about playing Strands
How does the game Strands work?
Strands gives you a grid of 48 letters — six columns wide, eight rows deep — and a short theme clue. You trace words that fit the theme, in any direction including diagonals, until all 48 letters are used exactly once: every letter on the board belongs to exactly one theme word or to the spangram.
How to win in Strands?
A Strands puzzle is finished when every theme word and the spangram have been found, using all 48 letters. There is no score and no clock, so the only win condition is clearing the board.
Is Strands harder than Wordle?
Strands and Wordle are hard in different ways: Wordle limits you to six guesses, while Strands has unlimited attempts but hides both the words and the theme connecting them. Strands cannot be lost, only left unfinished.