What is NYT Strands?
Strands is a themed word search with a twist. You get a grid of letters and a short, often cryptic clue about the day's theme. Hidden in the grid are several theme words, and you find them by connecting letters in any direction, including diagonally. Every letter on the board belongs to exactly one answer, so the grid gradually clears as you solve it. One special answer, the spangram, describes the theme itself and stretches from one side of the board to the other. Finding it early often unlocks the rest. If you are stuck, finding other valid words earns you hints. Strands launched in 2024 and has become one of the most played New York Times games. It is calmer than a timed puzzle and suits people who enjoy word searches, themes and that moment when a vague clue suddenly makes sense.
How to play
- Drag through adjacent letters, in any direction, to spell a word.
- Theme words light up. The spangram touches two opposite sides and names the theme.
- Every letter is used once. Find other words to earn hints.
Quick facts
- Typical time
- 5–10 min
- Difficulty
- Easy–medium
- Price
- Today's puzzle is free. The archive of past puzzles needs a subscription.
- Account
- Not needed. A free New York Times account keeps your stats and streak across devices.
- Past puzzles
- For subscribers.
- On a phone
- In the browser, or in the NYT Games app for iPhone and Android.
- Hints
- Find three words that aren't part of the theme to earn one hint.
Tips to get better
- Start in the corners. A corner letter has only three neighbours, so there are very few ways a word can pass through it. Corners and edges are the easiest places to pin a word down.
- Hunt for the spangram early. It runs from one side of the board to the opposite side and names the theme. Once you have it, you know exactly what kind of word you're looking for.
- Read the clue as a riddle. The theme clue is often a pun. If the obvious reading gets you nowhere, ask what else the phrase could mean.
- No letter is left over. Every letter belongs to exactly one answer. If your word leaves a single letter cut off, with nothing to join, the word is wrong or takes a different path.
- Expect bends. Unlike a normal word search, a word can change direction at every letter. Long theme words often snake around.
- Stuck? Spell anything. Any ordinary word of four letters or more counts towards a hint, and the hint points out the letters of one theme word.
Who it's for
Strands is the calm one in the New York Times line-up. You can't lose, there's no timer, and the hint system means you never stay stuck. That makes it great for winding down and less great if you want tension. The theme clue is sometimes so vague that finding the first word is pure luck. After that it flows.
