#45Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Strands answers for April 17, 2024 — “The long run” (#45)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for April 17, 2024 (puzzle #45) is MARATHON, a 8-letter answer to the theme "The long run". The 7 theme words are COURSE, GAIT, NUTRITION, PACE, SPEED, TRACK and TRAINER.
Where is each answer on the April 17 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on April 17, 2024 are listed below, followed by the spangram.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 8 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.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| COURSE | 6 | row 6, column 5 | row 7, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| GAIT | 4 | row 8, column 2 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| NUTRITION | 9 | row 1, column 6 | row 2, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| PACE | 4 | row 5, column 2 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPEED | 5 | row 3, column 1 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| TRACK | 5 | row 2, column 3 | row 3, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| TRAINER | 7 | row 5, column 5 | row 7, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| MARATHON | 8 | row 1, column 1 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the April 17 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for April 17, 2024 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 8 letters7 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 M-A-A-R-O-N, row 2 reads R-C-T-N-U-I, row 3 reads S-A-K-T-I-T, row 4 reads E-P-T-R-O-N, row 5 reads C-P-E-H-T-R, row 6 reads T-A-D-E-C-A, row 7 reads I-S-E-O-R-I, and row 8 reads A-G-R-U-E-N.
How hard was the April 17 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #45 comes out easy, ahead of 20% of them.
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 17 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #45 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Heidi Erwin. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the April 17 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on April 17, 2024?
The Strands clue for April 17, 2024 is “The long run”, on puzzle #45. It is answered by the spangram MARATHON, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on April 17, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for April 17, 2024 are COURSE, GAIT, NUTRITION, PACE, SPEED, TRACK and TRAINER, plus the spangram MARATHON.
What was the big word in the April 17, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for April 17, 2024 is MARATHON, 8 letters long, running from row 1, column 1 to row 4, column 6. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “The long run” mean?
The Strands theme “The long run” for April 17, 2024 means MARATHON — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 7 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands April 17, 2024?
Strands puzzle #45 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the April 17, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #45 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 20% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on April 17, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 is #45, 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.