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. And you might well need them for Wordle in particular, because today's Wordle is the hardest for two years and the third hardest ever.
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 #226) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Beast mode
NYT Strands today (game #226) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- THREE
- FREE
- TREE
- CELL
- HEEL
- SCAR
NYT Strands today (game #226) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Tooth and claw
NYT Strands today (game #226) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: bottom, 3rd column
Last: top, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #226) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #226, are…
- SCALE
- FEATHER
- HAIR
- HORN
- SHELL
- WING
- SPANGRAM: CREATUREFEATURE
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
This was a tricky Strands puzzle. The words are all well known, but I wasn't entirely sure what it was I was looking for until a fair way into it, and it took me ages to find the spangram. That answer – CREATUREFEATURE – winds up and down the board using 15 letters, so getting it was fairly crucial to solving the puzzle. It's always crucial, of course, but on some days it doesn't have an immediate impact on the ease with which you find most of the other solutions, but here it was so long that you really needed it in order to rule out others. I was never comfortable today until I had it, and that was late on.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, 14 October, game #225)
- DOLLY
- BUNGEE
- TRUCK
- BOXES
- FOAM
- CRATE
- TAPE
- STRAP
- SPANGRAM: MOVINGDAY
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.
