Strands Hint

#167Saturday, August 17, 2024

Strands answers for August 17, 2024 — “Carle classic” (#167)

The NYT Strands spangram for August 17, 2024 (puzzle #167) is HUNGRYCATERPILLAR, a 17-letter answer to the theme "Carle classic". The 5 theme words are APPLE, LEAF, PICKLE, SALAMI and WATERMELON.

APPLELEAFPICKLESALAMIWATERMELONHUNGRYCATERPILLAR

Where is each answer on the August 17 Strands board?

The full answer set for puzzle #167 is 5 theme words and one spangram.

The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 6 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 #167
AnswerLettersStartsEndsDirection
APPLE5row 1, column 5row 3, column 6diagonally across the grid
LEAF4row 8, column 2row 7, column 2diagonally across the grid
PICKLE6row 5, column 2row 4, column 1diagonally across the grid
SALAMI6row 1, column 1row 1, column 4left to right
WATERMELON10row 4, column 2row 5, column 4diagonally across the grid
HUNGRYCATERPILLAR17row 3, column 1row 6, column 6diagonally across the grid

What did the August 17 Strands grid look like?

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

SLMIAPAANGLPHUATREEWLOEYLPENRCKCIMARAFETLAELRPIL

Spangram — 17 letters5 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 S-L-M-I-A-P, row 2 reads A-A-N-G-L-P, row 3 reads H-U-A-T-R-E, row 4 reads E-W-L-O-E-Y, row 5 reads L-P-E-N-R-C, row 6 reads K-C-I-M-A-R, row 7 reads A-F-E-T-L-A, and row 8 reads E-L-R-P-I-L.

How hard was the August 17 Strands puzzle?

Strands #167 scores hard on our difficulty index, harder than 96% of every Strands puzzle published so far.

Difficulty
96
percentile, hard
Path turns
30
direction changes
Decoy words
1130
non-theme words accepted
Mean answer
6.2
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 August 17 Strands puzzle?

Strands puzzle #167 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Christina Iverson. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.

Common questions about the August 17 Strands puzzle

What was the clue for Strands on August 17, 2024?

The Strands clue for August 17, 2024 is “Carle classic”, on puzzle #167. It is answered by the spangram HUNGRYCATERPILLAR, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.

What were the Strands words on August 17, 2024?

The 5 Strands theme words for August 17, 2024 are APPLE, LEAF, PICKLE, SALAMI and WATERMELON, plus the spangram HUNGRYCATERPILLAR.

What was the big word in the August 17, 2024 Strands?

The big word — the spangram — for August 17, 2024 is HUNGRYCATERPILLAR, 17 letters long, running from row 3, column 1 to row 6, 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 “Carle classic” mean?

The Strands theme “Carle classic” for August 17, 2024 means HUNGRYCATERPILLAR — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 5 theme words is an example of it.

How many theme words are in Strands August 17, 2024?

Strands puzzle #167 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.

How difficult was the August 17, 2024 Strands puzzle?

Strands #167 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 96% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.

What number was the Strands puzzle on August 17, 2024?

The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, August 17, 2024 is #167, 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 August 2024, part of the full Strands archive.