#73Wednesday, May 15, 2024
Strands answers for May 15, 2024 — “American pastime” (#73)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 15, 2024 (puzzle #73) is BALLPARK, a 8-letter answer to the theme "American pastime". The 7 theme words are BASE, BULLPEN, DUGOUT, INFIELD, MOUND, PLATE and STANDS.
Where is each answer on the May 15 Strands board?
Strands #73 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram BALLPARK.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BASE | 4 | row 8, column 4 | row 8, column 1 | right to left |
| BULLPEN | 7 | row 5, column 6 | row 8, column 5 | top to bottom |
| DUGOUT | 6 | row 3, column 1 | row 1, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| INFIELD | 7 | row 4, column 2 | row 5, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| MOUND | 5 | row 6, column 1 | row 7, column 4 | left to right |
| PLATE | 5 | row 5, column 1 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| STANDS | 6 | row 1, column 4 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| BALLPARK | 8 | row 4, column 1 | row 6, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
What did the May 15 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 — 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 O-U-T-S-T-A, row 2 reads U-G-L-L-N-D, row 3 reads D-A-N-F-P-S, row 4 reads B-I-I-E-L-A, row 5 reads P-L-A-D-R-B, row 6 reads M-E-T-K-U-L, row 7 reads O-U-N-D-E-L, and row 8 reads E-S-A-B-N-P.
How hard was the May 15 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #73 as easy: it sits at the 11th percentile of every Strands grid to date.
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 May 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #73 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 May 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 15, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 15, 2024 is “American pastime”, on puzzle #73. It is answered by the spangram BALLPARK, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 15, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for May 15, 2024 are BASE, BULLPEN, DUGOUT, INFIELD, MOUND, PLATE and STANDS, plus the spangram BALLPARK.
What was the big word in the May 15, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 15, 2024 is BALLPARK, 8 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 6, 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 “American pastime” mean?
The Strands theme “American pastime” for May 15, 2024 means BALLPARK — 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 May 15, 2024?
Strands puzzle #73 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 15, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #73 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 11% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 15, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 is #73, 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 May 2024, part of the full Strands archive.