#171Wednesday, August 21, 2024
Strands answers for August 21, 2024 — “One for the ages” (#171)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 21, 2024 (puzzle #171) is HAPPYBIRTHDAY, a 13-letter answer to the theme "One for the ages". The 6 theme words are CAKE, CANDLES, CARDS, CELEBRATE, GIFTS and PARTY.
Where is each answer on the August 21 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the August 21, 2024 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAKE | 4 | row 7, column 6 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| CANDLES | 7 | row 5, column 5 | row 6, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| CARDS | 5 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| CELEBRATE | 9 | row 1, column 1 | row 4, column 1 | top to bottom |
| GIFTS | 5 | row 1, column 6 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| PARTY | 5 | row 7, column 3 | row 7, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| HAPPYBIRTHDAY | 13 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the August 21 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the August 21, 2024 grid.
Spangram — 13 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 C-E-H-S-T-G, row 2 reads E-L-A-P-F-I, row 3 reads B-R-A-P-Y-D, row 4 reads E-T-I-B-N-L, row 5 reads C-R-T-A-C-E, row 6 reads R-A-S-H-D-S, row 7 reads Y-D-P-A-K-C, and row 8 reads T-R-A-Y-E-A.
How hard was the August 21 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #171 comes out hard, ahead of 85% 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 August 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #171 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 August 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 21, 2024?
The Strands clue for August 21, 2024 is “One for the ages”, on puzzle #171. It is answered by the spangram HAPPYBIRTHDAY, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 21, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for August 21, 2024 are CAKE, CANDLES, CARDS, CELEBRATE, GIFTS and PARTY, plus the spangram HAPPYBIRTHDAY.
What was the big word in the August 21, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 21, 2024 is HAPPYBIRTHDAY, 13 letters long, running from row 1, column 3 to row 8, column 4. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “One for the ages” mean?
The Strands theme “One for the ages” for August 21, 2024 means HAPPYBIRTHDAY — 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 August 21, 2024?
Strands puzzle #171 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 21, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #171 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 85% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 21, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 is #171, 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.