#226Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Strands answers for October 15, 2024 — “Beast mode” (#226)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for October 15, 2024 (puzzle #226) is CREATUREFEATURE, a 15-letter answer to the theme "Beast mode". The 7 theme words are FEATHER, HAIR, HORN, SCALE, SHELL, TAIL and WING.
Where is each answer on the October 15 Strands board?
Strands #226 resolves to these 7 theme words plus the spangram CREATUREFEATURE.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FEATHER | 7 | row 2, column 3 | row 1, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| HAIR | 4 | row 4, column 6 | row 7, column 6 | top to bottom |
| HORN | 4 | row 7, column 5 | row 8, column 4 | diagonally across the grid |
| SCALE | 5 | row 4, column 1 | row 6, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SHELL | 5 | row 6, column 3 | row 8, column 2 | diagonally across the grid |
| TAIL | 4 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 5 | diagonally across the grid |
| WING | 4 | row 4, column 5 | row 1, column 4 | bottom to top |
| CREATUREFEATURE | 15 | row 7, column 3 | row 1, column 3 | bottom to top |
What did the October 15 Strands grid look like?
Puzzle #226 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.
Spangram — 15 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 H-R-E-G-L-I, row 2 reads T-E-F-R-N-A, row 3 reads A-E-U-T-I-T, row 4 reads S-C-E-A-W-H, row 5 reads L-A-R-F-E-A, row 6 reads E-H-S-U-T-I, row 7 reads E-R-C-A-H-R, and row 8 reads L-L-E-N-R-O.
How hard was the October 15 Strands puzzle?
The difficulty index rates puzzle #226 as above average: it sits at the 62th 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 October 15 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #226 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 October 15 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on October 15, 2024?
The Strands clue for October 15, 2024 is “Beast mode”, on puzzle #226. It is answered by the spangram CREATUREFEATURE, and all 7 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on October 15, 2024?
The 7 Strands theme words for October 15, 2024 are FEATHER, HAIR, HORN, SCALE, SHELL, TAIL and WING, plus the spangram CREATUREFEATURE.
What was the big word in the October 15, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for October 15, 2024 is CREATUREFEATURE, 15 letters long, running from row 7, column 3 to row 1, column 3. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “Beast mode” mean?
The Strands theme “Beast mode” for October 15, 2024 means CREATUREFEATURE — 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 October 15, 2024?
Strands puzzle #226 has 7 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the October 15, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #226 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 62% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on October 15, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, October 15, 2024 is #226, 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 October 2024, part of the full Strands archive.