How to play Strands, NYT's newest addictive word game

What is the New York Times Game Strands?

Strands is an interesting word game. You get a 6x8 grid of 48 letters and a short clue for the word search. Your task is then to find all the words that match the topic suggested by the clue, including "spangram". This is the core word that describes the theme of the puzzle.

You just need to touch the letters one by one or drag your finger across multiple letters to form words. If you find a correct word, it turns blue (or yellow in the case of a spangram) and you move on to the next word. If you get it wrong (that is, you find a word that doesn't belong to the topic), you'll get a suggestion. Three off-topic words equal one suggestion.

Like the best Wordle alternatives, the rules are simple but the puzzles themselves are not. While Strands isn't as mentally taxing as Connections, another NYT game to play every day, it will still keep your brain active.

At the time of writing, Strands is in beta, meaning the game is just being tested to see if it can withstand scrutiny. On a practical level, that beta means the game is only available to play on the web and is not yet part of the New York Times Games app.

How to play NYT's Strands word search game

1. To play Strands, first visit the Strands page on the New York Times website and click Play.

2. Read and pay attention to Today's Theme, this is essentially a clue to help complete the puzzle.

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3. With some idea of ​​a theme, scan the grid of letters to find words that fit the theme - especially spangrams.

4. When you see a word, tap each letter in turn, double-tap the last letter, or tap and drag each letter to form a word.

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5. If the word is correct, it will turn blue (or yellow in the case of a spangram).

6. Continue finding words that match the topic until the entire board is filled.

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7. You will then be shown your results along with some small emojis representing your experience.

8. Now, you can share your results with others without revealing any information.

Tip: Touching and dragging letters to form words with the mouse can be frustrating. If you're playing Strands on a device without a touchscreen, you should press each letter one at a time.

5 tips to successfully conquer the game Strands from NYT

1. Look at the clues carefully. Unlike a regular word search, there is no list of words to search for. This means adjusting to the theme of the day is important if you want to be successful.
2. You need to fill out the entire table. This game rule is very useful because once you have discovered some words, other words will appear in the remaining space.
3. Guess the wrong word to get hints (if needed). While this goes against puzzlers' instincts, if you need a hint, try intentionally finding three random words to get the hint.
4. Start at the corners to limit possibilities. While a letter in the middle of the grid can go in any of eight directions, corner letters are limited to only three options.
5. Words can be formed in any direction. Classic word search answers follow straight lines, while the words in Strands run around the board horizontally, vertically and diagonally.

Usually, simple games often have their own appeal. And there's no simpler puzzle game than word finding. However, Strands makes this classic puzzle much more interesting with a few simple but effective explanations.

Jessica Tanner

Update 08 March 2024