#79Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Strands answers for May 21, 2024 — “At the bar” (#79)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for May 21, 2024 (puzzle #79) is MENUITEMS, a 9-letter answer to the theme "At the bar". The 7 theme words are EDIT, FAVORITES, FILE, HELP, HISTORY, TOOLS and WINDOW.
Where is each answer on the May 21 Strands board?
Strands #79 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram MENUITEMS.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EDIT | 4 | row 4, column 6 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| FAVORITES | 9 | row 8, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| FILE | 4 | row 7, column 5 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| HELP | 4 | row 5, column 2 | row 5, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| HISTORY | 7 | row 2, column 4 | row 7, column 4 | top to bottom |
| TOOLS | 5 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| WINDOW | 6 | row 3, column 1 | row 3, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| MENUITEMS | 9 | row 1, column 3 | row 8, column 4 | top to bottom |
What did the May 21 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #79 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 9 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 D-N-M-S-L-O, row 2 reads O-I-E-H-I-O, row 3 reads W-W-N-U-S-T, row 4 reads S-E-L-I-T-E, row 5 reads E-H-P-T-O-D, row 6 reads T-I-E-R-T-I, row 7 reads O-R-M-Y-F-I, and row 8 reads V-A-F-S-E-L.
How hard was the May 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands #79 scores easy on our difficulty index, harder than 21% 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 May 21 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #79 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 21 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on May 21, 2024?
The Strands clue for May 21, 2024 is “At the bar”, on puzzle #79. It is answered by the spangram MENUITEMS, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on May 21, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for May 21, 2024 are EDIT, FAVORITES, FILE, HELP, HISTORY, TOOLS and WINDOW, plus the spangram MENUITEMS.
What was the big word in the May 21, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for May 21, 2024 is MENUITEMS, 9 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 “At the bar” mean?
The Strands theme “At the bar” for May 21, 2024 means MENUITEMS — 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 21, 2024?
Strands puzzle #79 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the May 21, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #79 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 21% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on May 21, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 is #79, 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.