Paragraph 1: The New York Times’ Strands puzzle, a daily word search variant accessible on the NYT website and app, challenges players to identify a group of thematically linked words hidden within a 6×8 grid of letters. Players uncover these words by connecting adjacent letters horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, and even changing directions mid-word. The game provides a thematic clue to guide the search. Each letter in the grid is used exactly once, forming part of either a theme word or the special “spangram.”
Paragraph 2: Central to Strands is the spangram, a key word that encapsulates the shared theme of the other words. The spangram, which can be a proper noun unlike the theme words, stretches across the grid, connecting at least two of its edges, though it may not necessarily begin or end at the edge. Finding the spangram, highlighted in yellow, is crucial to understanding the puzzle’s overall theme. The theme words themselves, highlighted in blue once discovered, must be at least four letters long.
Paragraph 3: Strands incorporates a hint system to assist players facing difficulty. By finding three valid four-letter words unrelated to the puzzle’s theme, players unlock the hint button. This hint reveals the letter positions of one of the theme words, providing a valuable foothold in the search. The game’s difficulty varies daily, with puzzle creators striving to introduce unexpected twists and challenges. Some puzzles may require completing phrases, while others might revolve around synonyms or homophones.
Paragraph 4: The January 19th Strands puzzle focused on the theme of “I get the message,” with a supplementary hint of “Communications organization.” The puzzle contained eight theme words, including the spangram. The initial two letters of each theme word, ordered by their first appearance in the grid from left to right and top to bottom, were provided as additional clues: IN, EM, ST, DR, SE, TR, SN, SP. These clues served as starting points for locating the full theme words within the grid.
Paragraph 5: The spangram for the January 19th puzzle was “EMAIL LABEL.” The complete list of theme words included “INBOX,” “EMAIL LABEL,” “STARRED,” “DRAFTS,” “SENT,” “TRASH,” “SNOOZED,” and “SPAM.” The puzzle’s focus on email communication was relatively straightforward, with the presence of “X” in the grid quickly leading to the discovery of words like “INBOX,” “DRAFTS,” and “SPAM.” The word “EMAIL” clearly hinted at the spangram, and the remaining theme words helped to pinpoint its complete form, “EMAIL LABEL.”
Paragraph 6: The solving process involved strategically identifying words based on the provided clues and the emerging patterns within the grid. Recognizing “X” as a less common letter quickly identified “INBOX,” “DRAFTS,” and “SPAM.” Finding “EMAIL” suggested its role within the spangram. Subsequent discoveries of “STARRED” and “SENT” narrowed down the possibilities, and ultimately, “TRASH” and “SNOOZED” provided the final letters needed to complete the spangram “EMAIL LABEL.” The puzzle was solved without using hints, with the spangram being the eighth and final theme word found.
