Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Carle classic
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- SLANG
- GLEE
- WHELP
- HELP
- MICE
- RAIL
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Bedtime story
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: left, 3rd row
Last: right, 6th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #167) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #167, are…
- LEAF
- APPLE
- PICKLE
- SALAMI
- WATERMELON
- SPANGRAM: HUNGRYCATERPILLAR
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 5 hints
OK, so what we have here is the most difficult, stupidest Strands puzzle for weeks – unless you happen to a) know what the reference to 'Carle classic' means and b) remember what all of the things eaten by the HUNGRYCATERPILLAR were.
I did not recall that Eric Carle was the author of that classic children's book, until after I got the spangram and realized what linked these answers. In my defense, my daughters are 14. It is at least 11 years since I read that book to them, and expecting me (or anyone else) to remember the dietary choices of a growing insect after more than a decade is, well, stupid. Plus, it's called the VERY Hungy Caterpillar, but 'very' doesn't feature in the spangram.
Anyway, I needed clues for every single one of the answers other than PICKLE, which I got by accident, so this was deeply unsatisfying.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday 16 August, game #166)
- SINK
- SWIM
- MAKE
- BREAK
- FEAST
- FAMINE
- DOUBLE
- NOTHING
- SPANGRAM: OPTIONS
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
