#229Friday, October 18, 2024
Strands answers for October 18, 2024 — “All wrapped up” (#229)
Spoilers below — this page is the full record for this puzzle
The NYT Strands spangram for October 18, 2024 (puzzle #229) is DUMPLINGS, a 9-letter answer to the theme "All wrapped up". The 6 theme words are EMPANADA, GYOZA, PIEROGI, RAVIOLI, SAMOSA and WONTON.
Where is each answer on the October 18 Strands board?
Here are all 6 theme words from the October 18, 2024 Strands puzzle, with the spangram last.
The table gives the start square, end square and travel direction of all 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EMPANADA | 8 | row 3, column 6 | row 1, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| GYOZA | 5 | row 8, column 2 | row 8, column 6 | left to right |
| PIEROGI | 7 | row 1, column 2 | row 1, column 5 | left to right |
| RAVIOLI | 7 | row 3, column 3 | row 4, column 1 | diagonally across the grid |
| SAMOSA | 6 | row 6, column 1 | row 6, column 4 | left to right |
| WONTON | 6 | row 6, column 6 | row 5, column 6 | diagonally across the grid |
| DUMPLINGS | 9 | row 4, column 6 | row 4, column 2 | right to left |
What did the October 18 Strands grid look like?
Every letter below appears in exactly one answer — the 7 words tile all 48 cells of the October 18, 2024 grid.
Spangram — 9 letters6 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 I-P-I-G-I-A, row 2 reads O-V-E-R-O-D, row 3 reads L-A-R-N-A-E, row 4 reads I-S-A-P-M-D, row 5 reads I-N-G-M-U-N, row 6 reads S-L-P-A-O-W, row 7 reads A-O-S-T-N-O, and row 8 reads M-G-Y-O-Z-A.
How hard was the October 18 Strands puzzle?
On the same measure applied to every puzzle since 2024, Strands #229 comes out average, ahead of 31% of them.
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 18 Strands puzzle?
Strands puzzle #229 was edited by Tracy Bennett and constructed by Jacqueline Yue. Output across the whole run is broken down on who makes NYT Strands.
Common questions about the October 18 Strands puzzle
What was the clue for Strands on October 18, 2024?
The Strands clue for October 18, 2024 is “All wrapped up”, on puzzle #229. It is answered by the spangram DUMPLINGS, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.
What were the Strands words on October 18, 2024?
The 6 Strands theme words for October 18, 2024 are EMPANADA, GYOZA, PIEROGI, RAVIOLI, SAMOSA and WONTON, plus the spangram DUMPLINGS.
What was the big word in the October 18, 2024 Strands?
The big word — the spangram — for October 18, 2024 is DUMPLINGS, 9 letters long, running from row 4, column 6 to row 4, column 2. It is the one word that touches two opposite sides of the board and states the theme outright.
What did the Strands theme “All wrapped up” mean?
The Strands theme “All wrapped up” for October 18, 2024 means DUMPLINGS — that is what the spangram spells, and every one of the 6 theme words is an example of it.
How many theme words are in Strands October 18, 2024?
Strands puzzle #229 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.
How difficult was the October 18, 2024 Strands puzzle?
Strands #229 rates average on a computed index, harder than 31% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.
What number was the Strands puzzle on October 18, 2024?
The Strands puzzle published on Friday, October 18, 2024 is #229, 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.