#261Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Strands answers for November 19, 2024 — “Pick-ups” (#261)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for November 19, 2024 (puzzle #261) is UTENSILS, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Pick-ups". The 7 theme words are CHOPSTICKS, FORK, KNIFE, SKEWER, SPOON, SPORK and TONGS.
Where is each answer on the November 19 Strands board?
Here are all 7 theme words from the November 19, 2024 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHOPSTICKS | 10 | row 5, column 2 | row 6, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| FORK | 4 | row 3, column 3 | row 2, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| KNIFE | 5 | row 6, column 6 | row 6, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| SKEWER | 6 | row 1, column 5 | row 1, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPOON | 5 | row 2, column 2 | row 2, column 3 | diagonally across the grid |
| SPORK | 5 | row 3, column 4 | row 4, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| TONGS | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 8, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| UTENSILS | 8 | row 4, column 1 | row 5, column 6 | left to right |
What did the November 19 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 8 words tile all 48 cells of the November 19, 2024 grid.
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 P-O-O-R-S-K, row 2 reads K-S-N-E-W-E, row 3 reads R-O-F-S-P-R, row 4 reads U-T-E-N-O-K, row 5 reads H-C-S-I-L-S, row 6 reads O-S-T-O-E-K, row 7 reads P-K-C-N-F-N, and row 8 reads S-T-I-G-S-I.
How hard was the November 19 Strands puzzle?
Measured against the full archive, the November 19, 2024 puzzle lands in the easy range — above 5% 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 November 19 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #261 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 November 19 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on November 19, 2024?
The Strands clue for November 19, 2024 is “Pick-ups”, on puzzle #261. It is answered by the spangram UTENSILS, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on November 19, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for November 19, 2024 are CHOPSTICKS, FORK, KNIFE, SKEWER, SPOON, SPORK and TONGS, plus the spangram UTENSILS.
What was the big word in the November 19, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for November 19, 2024 is UTENSILS, 8 letters long, running from row 4, column 1 to row 5, 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 “Pick-ups” mean?
The Strands theme “Pick-ups” for November 19, 2024 means UTENSILS — 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 November 19, 2024?
Strands puzzle #261 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the November 19, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #261 rates easy on a computed index, harder than 5% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on November 19, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 is #261, 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 November 2024, part of the full Strands archive.