#181Saturday, August 31, 2024
Strands answers for August 31, 2024 — “Makeshift music” (#181)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for August 31, 2024 (puzzle #181) is JUGBAND, a 7-letter answer to the theme "Makeshift music". The 6 theme words are BONES, BROOM, COWBELL, SPOONS, STOVEPIPE and WASHBOARD.
Where is each answer on the August 31 Strands board?
Strands #181 resolves to these 6 theme words plus the spangram JUGBAND.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BONES | 5 | row 7, column 2 | row 8, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| BROOM | 5 | row 3, column 5 | row 2, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| COWBELL | 7 | row 4, column 3 | row 3, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPOONS | 6 | row 2, column 1 | row 1, column 4 | left to right |
| STOVEPIPE | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 5 | left to right |
| WASHBOARD | 9 | row 7, column 5 | row 7, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| JUGBAND | 7 | row 4, column 1 | row 3, column 6 | left to right |
What did the August 31 Strands grid look like?
The grid below is six letters wide and eight rows deep, with every answer traced through the letters it uses.
Spangram — 7 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 P-O-O-S-O-O, row 2 reads S-B-L-N-M-R, row 3 reads W-O-E-L-B-D, row 4 reads J-U-C-A-N-P, row 5 reads S-T-G-B-E-I, row 6 reads N-O-O-V-E-P, row 7 reads E-B-S-A-W-D, and row 8 reads S-H-B-O-A-R.
How hard was the August 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands #181 scores above average on our difficulty index, harder than 71% of every Strands puzzle published so far.
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 31 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #181 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 31 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on August 31, 2024?
The Strands clue for August 31, 2024 is “Makeshift music”, on puzzle #181. It is answered by the spangram JUGBAND, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on August 31, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for August 31, 2024 are BONES, BROOM, COWBELL, SPOONS, STOVEPIPE and WASHBOARD, plus the spangram JUGBAND.
What was the big word in the August 31, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for August 31, 2024 is JUGBAND, 7 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 3, 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 “Makeshift music” mean?
The Strands theme “Makeshift music” for August 31, 2024 means JUGBAND — 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 31, 2024?
Strands puzzle #181 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the August 31, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #181 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 71% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on August 31, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Saturday, August 31, 2024 is #181, 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.