#168Sunday, August 18, 2024
Strands answers for August 18, 2024 — “What do you make of this?” (#168)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 18, 2024 (puzzle #168) is ARTCLASS, a 8-letter answer to the theme "What do you make of this?". The 7 theme words are BRUSH, CANVAS, CHARCOAL, EASEL, MOLD, PAINT and PALETTE.
Where is each answer on the August 18 Strands board?
The 7 theme words for Strands on August 18, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRUSH | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CANVAS | 6 | row 2, column 1 | row 3, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| CHARCOAL | 8 | row 7, column 3 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| EASEL | 5 | row 3, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| MOLD | 4 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| PAINT | 5 | row 3, column 2 | row 4, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| PALETTE | 7 | row 6, column 6 | row 4, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| ARTCLASS | 8 | row 4, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the August 18 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for August 18, 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 A-N-V-L-D-S, row 2 reads C-A-M-O-A-E, row 3 reads S-P-C-T-E-L, row 4 reads A-T-L-E-R-A, row 5 reads I-N-A-T-E-L, row 6 reads S-S-B-T-A-P, row 7 reads U-R-C-H-C-A, and row 8 reads H-S-A-R-O-L.
How hard was the August 18 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the August 18, 2024 puzzle lands in the average range — above 54% of all Strands puzzles.
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 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #168 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 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 18, 2024?
The Strands clue for August 18, 2024 is “What do you make of this?”, on puzzle #168. It is answered by the spangram ARTCLASS, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 18, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for August 18, 2024 are BRUSH, CANVAS, CHARCOAL, EASEL, MOLD, PAINT and PALETTE, plus the spangram ARTCLASS.
What was the big word in the August 18, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 18, 2024 is ARTCLASS, 8 letters long, running from row 4, column 6 to row 6, 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 “What do you make of this?” mean?
The Strands theme “What do you make of this?” for August 18, 2024 means ARTCLASS — 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 August 18, 2024?
Strands puzzle #168 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 18, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #168 rates average on a computed index, harder than 54% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 18, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Sunday, August 18, 2024 is #168, 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.