Wordle undoubtedly took the world by storm in October 2021 and it’s carried on with a strong playership since the New York Times bought it in January 2022.
In 2023, it was estimated that one in three Americans still play Wordle and, while similar statistics are unavailable for the UK, it demonstrates that its popularity remains.
The New York Times buying Wordle also brought more of a light to the NYT Games app, which includes a crossword (both mini and large), sudokus, and other puzzle games for people to play each day.
A new addition to this group is Strands, a word game that could be on track to beat Wordle where other spin-off games have failed as people’s favourite daily word puzzle.
What is Strands?
Strands is a word-based game centred around finding words in a grid and linking them up by yellow and blue lines.
It has elements of a crossword, but all the words are connected around a shared theme.
That theme is unified through one word, known as the spangram within Strands.
How to play Strands
There’s no time limit on Strands, so it simply starts when you start finding words.
The aim of the game is to find words that fit into the day’s designated theme, for which there is a clue at the top of the puzzle.
You can either tap or drag on letters to spell out words you want to guess. Only words of four letters or more are acceptable.
If you find a word that is part of the group, it turns blue. If you find the spangram (usually one of the longest words and can even be a two-word phrase), it turns yellow.
Once complete, the theme words and the spangram will cover the board entirely, and there will be no leftover letters in the puzzle.
Tips for Strands
Finding words that aren’t in the theme or the spangram will still help you out. Every three words you guess gets you a hint.
Once the ‘hint’ box turns black on the bottom left, you have earned a hint. Tapping that button will bring up a blue outline around a word, showing you which letters form one of the game’s theme words. You must then successfully unscramble it.
