Strands Hint

#44Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Strands answers for April 16, 2024 — “On the grid” (#44)

The NYT Strands spangram for April 16, 2024 (puzzle #44) is UTILITIES, a 9-letter answer to the theme "On the grid". The 6 theme words are CABLE, ELECTRIC, HEAT, INTERNET, TELEPHONE and WATER.

CABLEELECTRICHEATINTERNETTELEPHONEWATERUTILITIES

Where is each answer on the April 16 Strands board?

The full answer set for puzzle #44 is 6 theme words and one spangram.

The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 answers. Every position comes from solving the grid outright — the answers have to tile all 48 letters with no overlap and no remainder, which is what makes a single arrangement provable.

Verified board positions, Strands puzzle #44
AnswerLettersStartsEndsDirection
CABLE5row 4, column 2row 3, column 3diagonally across the grid
ELECTRIC8row 4, column 6row 8, column 4diagonally across the grid
HEAT4row 2, column 3row 3, column 1diagonally across the grid
INTERNET8row 3, column 4row 2, column 4diagonally across the grid
TELEPHONE9row 6, column 1row 7, column 5left to right
WATER5row 1, column 3row 2, column 2diagonally across the grid
UTILITIES9row 3, column 6row 5, column 1diagonally across the grid

What did the April 16 Strands grid look like?

The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.

TAWNREERHTETTEEINUACBLTESATLILTEIICEEEONETLHPCIR

Spangram — 9 letters6 theme words

Each line traces one answer through the letters it uses; the heavier yellow line is the spangram.

Read across the grid, row 1 reads T-A-W-N-R-E, row 2 reads E-R-H-T-E-T, row 3 reads T-E-E-I-N-U, row 4 reads A-C-B-L-T-E, row 5 reads S-A-T-L-I-L, row 6 reads T-E-I-I-C-E, row 7 reads E-E-O-N-E-T, and row 8 reads L-H-P-C-I-R.

How hard was the April 16 Strands puzzle?

Strands #44 scores above average on our difficulty index, harder than 76% of every Strands puzzle published so far.

Difficulty
76
percentile, above average
Path turns
27
direction changes
Decoy words
776
non-theme words accepted
Mean answer
6.5
letters per theme word

Easiest puzzle ever published on the left, hardest on the right. The formula behind the score, and the ranked list of every puzzle, are on the Strands difficulty index.

Who made the April 16 Strands puzzle?

Strands puzzle #44 was edited by Tracy Bennett, who also constructed it. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.

Common questions about the April 16 Strands puzzle

What was the clue for Strands on April 16, 2024?

The Strands clue for April 16, 2024 is “On the grid”, on puzzle #44. It is answered by the spangram UTILITIES, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.

What were the Strands words on April 16, 2024?

The 6 Strands theme words for April 16, 2024 are CABLE, ELECTRIC, HEAT, INTERNET, TELEPHONE and WATER, plus the spangram UTILITIES.

What was the big word in the April 16, 2024 Strands?

The big word — the spangram — for April 16, 2024 is UTILITIES, 9 letters long, running from row 3, column 6 to row 5, column 1. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.

What did the Strands theme “On the grid” mean?

The Strands theme “On the grid” for April 16, 2024 means UTILITIES — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.

How many theme words are in Strands April 16, 2024?

Strands puzzle #44 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.

How difficult was the April 16, 2024 Strands puzzle?

Strands #44 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 76% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.

What number was the Strands puzzle on April 16, 2024?

The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, April 16, 2024 is #44, counting from the game's launch on March 4, 2024.


Today’s puzzle and its hint ladder are on the front page. This puzzle sits in April 2024, part of the full Strands archive.