#78Monday, May 20, 2024
Strands answers for May 20, 2024 — “Fowl fairy tale” (#78)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 20, 2024 (puzzle #78) is UGLYDUCKLING, a 12-letter answer to the theme "Fowl fairy tale". The 5 theme words are BEAUTIFUL, JOURNEY, MISFIT, REFLECTION and SWAN.
Where is each answer on the May 20 Strands board?
The 5 theme words for Strands on May 20, 2024 are listed below, followed by the 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.
| Answer | Letters | Starts | Ends | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEAUTIFUL | 9 | row 5, column 1 | row 3, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| JOURNEY | 7 | row 3, column 1 | row 2, column 4 | left to right |
| MISFIT | 6 | row 1, column 5 | row 3, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| REFLECTION | 10 | row 8, column 1 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SWAN | 4 | row 8, column 5 | row 8, column 2 | right to left |
| UGLYDUCKLING | 12 | row 5, column 6 | row 6, column 1 | right to left |
What did the May 20 Strands grid look like?
The Strands board for May 20, 2024 is a six-column, eight-row grid of 48 letters.
Spangram — 12 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 U-R-N-E-M-I, row 2 reads O-F-U-Y-F-S, row 3 reads J-I-T-L-I-T, row 4 reads E-A-U-D-L-G, row 5 reads B-N-I-U-Y-U, row 6 reads G-L-K-C-N-O, row 7 reads E-F-L-E-C-I, and row 8 reads R-N-A-W-S-T.
How hard was the May 20 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the May 20, 2024 puzzle lands in the hard range — above 86% 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 May 20 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #78 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 20 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 20, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 20, 2024 is “Fowl fairy tale”, on puzzle #78. It is answered by the spangram UGLYDUCKLING, and all 5 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 20, 2024?
The 5 Strands theme words for May 20, 2024 are BEAUTIFUL, JOURNEY, MISFIT, REFLECTION and SWAN, plus the spangram UGLYDUCKLING.
What was the big word in the May 20, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 20, 2024 is UGLYDUCKLING, 12 letters long, running from row 5, 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 “Fowl fairy tale” mean?
The Strands theme “Fowl fairy tale” for May 20, 2024 means UGLYDUCKLING — 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 May 20, 2024?
Strands puzzle #78 has 5 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 20, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #78 rates hard on a computed index, harder than 86% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 20, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Monday, May 20, 2024 is #78, 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.