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 NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
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 #287) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Moonlighting
NYT Strands today (game #287) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- QUEST
- TEAR
- BEST
- RESCUE
- TAPE
- NEAR
NYT Strands today (game #287) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Satellite stages
NYT Strands today (game #287) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: left, 5th row
Last side: right, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #287) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #287, are…
- FULL
- WANING
- WAXING
- GIBBOUS
- QUARTER
- CRESCENT
- SPANGRAM: LUNAR PHASE
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
Many wonderful songs mention the moon – Moon River, Fly Me to the Moon, Moondance, Bad Moon Rising – but few mention a particular LUNAR PHASE, today’s Spangram.
A couple of exceptions…
The fabulous Whole of the Moon by The Waterboys, is a tribute to someone with greater otherworldly talent than the singer, Mike Scott. “I sighed, you swooned," he croons. "I saw the crescent / You saw the whole of the Moon”.
Another favorite is Easy from Now On by Emmylou Harris, which describes running away from a bad relationship and finding yourself beneath a “Quarter moon in a ten-cent town”.
Finally, a tune about the phase of the moon when it appears bulging outward but is not yet full: the off-kilter lament Gibbous Moon by Momus: "This world is lugubrious/ Aghast beneath a gibbous moon/ Waxing and waning with the death of all feeling/ But we will be free soon.”
Thank you, Strands, for this little Spotify rabbit hole.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 14 December, game #286)
- FIRE
- PASSION
- DRIVE
- DEVOTION
- INTENSITY
- PURPOSE
- SPANGRAM: GO GETTER
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.
