Joining puzzle fans' morning rotations of the crossword, , and is Strands, the New York Times' latest puzzle. Available to play online, initially looks like a word search. But longtime puzzlers know — with the NYT crew, it's never that simple.
The game requires players to “find hidden words and uncover the day’s theme.” It starts with a six by eight array of letters and a clue to that day's specific theme. From there, it's time to start word searching.
Here's everything to know about how to play Strands. The game begins once you start finding words. The goal is to find words that fit into that day's designated theme, but puzzlers only have a hint to that theme.
The trick is, the theme is itself one of the words hidden in the grid. To find terms, click and drag the letters in order to spell out said word. Once a puzzler finds a word that fits the theme, the correctly guessed word will light up in blue.
You can also find actual words that don't necessarily fit the theme, and while they won't bring you closer to completing the Strands puzzle, it will help you get closer to a hint (more on that below.) Players also must find a special word called a “spangram,” which defines the theme and will light up in yellow when found. The spangram can be two words and will always touch two opposite sides of the board.
The theme words plus the spangram will highlight the board entirely, and there will be no leftover letters in a completed puzzle. With its roots in the traditional .
