Strands Hint

#233Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Strands answers for October 22, 2024 — “Cool color!” (#233)

The NYT Strands spangram for October 22, 2024 (puzzle #233) is THEBLUES, a 8-letter answer to the theme "Cool color!". The 6 theme words are AZURE, COBALT, INDIGO, NAVY, PERIWINKLE and TURQUOISE.

AZURECOBALTINDIGONAVYPERIWINKLETURQUOISETHEBLUES

Where is each answer on the October 22 Strands board?

The full answer set for puzzle #233 is 6 theme words and one spangram.

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.

Verified board positions, Strands puzzle #233
AnswerLettersStartsEndsDirection
AZURE5row 2, column 5row 2, column 4diagonally across the grid
COBALT6row 1, column 1row 1, column 4left to right
INDIGO6row 8, column 6row 8, column 4diagonally across the grid
NAVY4row 5, column 5row 6, column 2right to left
PERIWINKLE10row 4, column 6row 2, column 1diagonally across the grid
TURQUOISE9row 6, column 1row 6, column 5left to right
THEBLUES8row 5, column 6row 5, column 1right to left

What did the October 22 Strands grid look like?

Puzzle #233 is played on 48 letters arranged in eight rows of six.

COATRUEBLEAZLNWIREKILBHPSEUENTTYVAEIURISGDQUOONI

Spangram — 8 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 C-O-A-T-R-U, row 2 reads E-B-L-E-A-Z, row 3 reads L-N-W-I-R-E, row 4 reads K-I-L-B-H-P, row 5 reads S-E-U-E-N-T, row 6 reads T-Y-V-A-E-I, row 7 reads U-R-I-S-G-D, and row 8 reads Q-U-O-O-N-I.

How hard was the October 22 Strands puzzle?

Strands #233 scores above average on our difficulty index, harder than 68% of every Strands puzzle published so far.

Difficulty
68
percentile, above average
Path turns
27
direction changes
Decoy words
881
non-theme words accepted
Mean answer
6.7
letters per theme word

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 22 Strands puzzle?

Strands puzzle #233 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 22 Strands puzzle

What was the clue for Strands on October 22, 2024?

The Strands clue for October 22, 2024 is “Cool color!”, on puzzle #233. It is answered by the spangram THEBLUES, and all 6 theme words that day belong to that idea.

What were the Strands words on October 22, 2024?

The 6 Strands theme words for October 22, 2024 are AZURE, COBALT, INDIGO, NAVY, PERIWINKLE and TURQUOISE, plus the spangram THEBLUES.

What was the big word in the October 22, 2024 Strands?

The big word — the spangram — for October 22, 2024 is THEBLUES, 8 letters long, running from row 5, column 6 to row 5, 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 “Cool color!” mean?

The Strands theme “Cool color!” for October 22, 2024 means THEBLUES — 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 22, 2024?

Strands puzzle #233 has 6 theme words plus one spangram, and together they use all 48 letters on the board exactly once.

How difficult was the October 22, 2024 Strands puzzle?

Strands #233 rates above average on a computed index, harder than 68% of every Strands puzzle published since March 2024.

What number was the Strands puzzle on October 22, 2024?

The Strands puzzle published on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 is #233, 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.