Today’s New York Times Strands puzzle challenges players to identify themed words hidden within a grid of letters. The theme for today’s puzzle is City Nicknames, requiring players to recognize common, affectionate names given to various cities.
How Strands Works
Strands involves finding words of four or more letters within the grid. Once three such words are uncovered, the game provides a hint toward the overall theme. The ultimate goal is to discover all themed words, including a “spangram”—a long word that spans the puzzle grid horizontally.
Hints and Solutions
If you’re stuck, here are some words to help unlock in-game hints:
- MALE
- MARE
- GOLD
- LOOT
- TOOL
- TALE
The non-spangram answers for today’s puzzle are:
- MAGIC
- GOLDEN
- MOTOR
- MUSIC
- WINDY
- EMERALD
- ETERNAL
The spangram—the word that spans the grid—is NICKNAME. Locate the ‘N’ three letters to the right on the top row and follow the path downwards to uncover it.
Difficult Puzzles from Recent Weeks
Some recent Strands themes have proven particularly challenging for players. Two of the toughest puzzles include:
- Dated slang (Jan. 21): This theme relied on obsolete slang terms, with “PHAT” being the most difficult word to identify.
- Thar she blows! (Jan. 15): Focusing on nautical terms, this puzzle required specialized knowledge of whaling and marine biology, making words like “BALEEN” or “RIGHT” the most challenging to find.
Solving Strands demands a blend of vocabulary, pattern recognition, and sometimes, a bit of luck. If you get stuck, remember that any four-letter word can trigger a helpful hint.
