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NYT Strands is a daily word-search puzzle on a 6-by-8 board containing 48 letters. You connect adjacent letters horizontally, vertically or diagonally to find the theme words and the puzzle’s single spangram. Three valid, fresh non-theme words of at least four letters earn one in-game hint. Using that hint does not reset your streak, but it removes the day’s “solved without hints” mark.
This guide explains exactly how hints, spangrams, scoring, streaks, daily resets and access to past puzzles work, then gives a practical solving routine and ways to avoid the most common misunderstandings.
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How the Strands board works
Every puzzle uses a 6-by-8 grid, so there are 48 letter tiles. A word path can move to any adjacent tile horizontally, vertically or diagonally, and it may change direction as often as needed. You select a path by tracing the letters and then submit it as a word.
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The complete board consists of several theme words plus exactly one spangram. Together, those entries use every tile exactly once. Theme words appear in blue after they are found. The spangram appears in yellow. You cannot finish the puzzle until the spangram and all theme words have been located.
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What counts as a theme word
Theme words are the entries that fit the day’s category. The category is not normally given in advance, so discovering words is also a process of identifying what they have in common. A word that is valid English but unrelated to the theme can still be useful because it may count toward a hint.
What happens when you submit a word
A correct theme entry is marked on the board and its letters are no longer available for another entry. A correct spangram is highlighted yellow. Incorrect guesses do not cost anything, so you can test a plausible path without losing a life or reducing a score.
How NYT Strands hints work
Earn a hint with three non-theme words
You unlock one hint by finding three valid, fresh non-theme words containing four or more letters. “Non-theme” means the word does not belong to that day’s category. “Fresh” means each word must be a new qualifying word rather than a repeat of one already submitted. These words are sometimes called bonus words.
- Trace a word of at least four letters that is valid but does not fit the theme.
- Submit it and continue looking for another qualifying non-theme word.
- Repeat until three separate words have been accepted.
- Use the newly available hint when you want help with an unsolved theme entry.
Finding the three words earns the hint; it does not itself count as using a hint. If you keep finding additional sets of three qualifying words, you can earn additional hints. The rules do not specify a separate maximum, so the practical limit is the number of qualifying words you can discover in that puzzle.
What an in-game hint reveals
When activated, a hint highlights letters belonging to one unsolved theme word. The letters are revealed progressively rather than presenting the completed answer immediately. You still have to trace the highlighted path and submit the word.
In-game hints reveal theme-word letters only. They do not reveal the spangram. If the category itself is still unclear, a hint can help you recognize one theme entry, but it will not directly identify the category-defining word.
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Do hints break a streak?
No. Using an in-game hint does not break your consecutive-day streak and does not remove the completed puzzle from your puzzle count. It does change the day’s detailed result: the puzzle will no longer be marked as “solved without hints.”
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What is a spangram?
A spangram is the single word or short phrase that describes the puzzle’s category. It must connect two opposite sides of the grid, and it uses the board like any other path by moving through adjacent horizontal, vertical or diagonal tiles. The game highlights it in yellow to distinguish it from the blue theme words.
Why the spangram is the best early target
Because it names the category, the spangram can turn a collection of apparently unrelated letters into a focused search. Once you know the category, you can brainstorm likely members and search the remaining tiles for them. The spangram is usually one of the longest entries, but length alone is not a rule: a long word is not automatically the spangram, and a shorter category phrase can still qualify if it reaches opposite sides.
A reliable spangram search
- Inspect letters along the outer rows and columns first. A valid spangram must be able to reach two opposite sides, so edge tiles are useful starting points.
- Look for a plausible category word or phrase that can be traced through adjacent tiles without reusing a tile.
- Trace the entire candidate and confirm that its path reaches opposite sides of the board.
- Submit it. The yellow highlight confirms that you found the spangram and gives you the category clue for the rest of the puzzle.
Do not assume that the first long path you see is correct. Test whether it describes a coherent category and whether the route genuinely connects opposite sides. The spangram and the other theme words together must account for every tile exactly once.
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Strands does not use a conventional points total or a countdown timer in the described scoreboard. Its visible progress is centered on completion and consistency:
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- Puzzles solved: the number of daily puzzles you have completed.
- Current streak: the number of consecutive daily puzzles solved.
- Solved without hints: whether each completed puzzle was finished without activating an in-game hint.
Taking a long time does not reset a streak. Using a hint does not reset it either; it only changes the hint-free status for that puzzle. Missing a daily puzzle is what resets the consecutive-day streak.
What “solved without hints” means
The label means you completed that day’s board without activating an in-game hint. It does not mean that you avoided every form of assistance while thinking. In particular, finding non-theme words to earn a hint does not count as using one. The status changes only when you actually activate the hint.
When the daily puzzle resets
A new Strands puzzle appears at midnight in your local time zone. The reset is therefore based on the device or account’s local setting rather than one universal worldwide hour. If the new board is not visible exactly when expected, check that your device time zone is correct and refresh the NYT Games site or app.
Is Strands free?
The current daily puzzle is free on the NYT Games website or app. You can play that day’s board without paying for an archive subscription.
Can you replay old puzzles?
The official archive of past Strands puzzles requires an NYT Games subscription. The free daily experience and the subscription archive are separate: a subscription is relevant when you want to choose from previous puzzles rather than play only the current one.
In-game hints versus other kinds of help
Not every form of assistance has the same spoiler level or statistics effect. Use the distinction below when deciding how much help you want.
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| Help method | What it can reveal | Does it identify the spangram? | Effect on “solved without hints” |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official in-game hint | Progressively highlighted letters from one unsolved theme word | No | Removes that day’s hint-free mark |
| Finding non-theme words | No theme answer; earns a hint after each set of three qualifying words | No direct reveal | Does not count as using a hint |
| Community or third-party staged hint | Can provide broader, progressive guidance, from a nudge toward the theme to more explicit assistance | Can offer broader guidance than the in-game hint | Its effect depends on whether you activate the official in-game hint |
If preserving the hint-free mark is your priority, stop before activating the official hint. You can still search for bonus words, reason from the board and use non-game assistance, but only the in-game hint has the specific recorded effect described above.
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1. Scan for obvious short paths
Start by tracing familiar words that fit a possible category. Because diagonal movement is allowed, inspect diagonal clusters as well as rows and columns. Avoid committing to a category based on one weak guess; several entries should begin to suggest the same connection.
2. Hunt the edges for the spangram
Examine edge tiles and test category-sized words that can travel to the opposite side. Confirm the full path before submitting. A correct spangram gives you the strongest available theme clue without using a hint.
3. Separate theme candidates from bonus words
When a valid word does not fit the emerging category, record it as a possible bonus word rather than discarding it. Three such words can earn a hint, and a bonus word may also expose useful letter clusters around the theme entries.
4. Fill the category systematically
After the spangram is identified, list likely members of its category and search for their letters. Trace each candidate through adjacent tiles, checking that you do not reuse a tile already assigned to another answer.
5. Decide whether to spend a hint
If the streak matters more than the hint-free mark, activating a hint is safe for streak continuity. If you want the clean mark, continue searching or earn another perspective from the category before activating it. Remember that a hint will not solve the spangram for you.
6. Verify the board is complete
The puzzle is finished only when every theme word and the one spangram have been found. If letters remain unaccounted for, look for a missing theme entry rather than assuming the board is complete.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
“I found three words, but no hint appeared.”
Check that every word had at least four letters, was valid, was newly submitted and did not belong to the theme. A thematic word does not count toward the hint. If one of the three was a repeat or a theme entry, find another qualifying non-theme word.
“The hint did not show the answer.”
That is expected. The official hint highlights letters progressively; you must trace and submit the resulting theme word. It is a letter reveal, not an automatic answer button.
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“I used a hint and lost my streak.”
Using a hint does not reset the consecutive-day streak. It removes only the “solved without hints” designation for that puzzle. A streak reset is caused by missing a day.
“I cannot find the spangram.”
Search from the edges and look for a word or short phrase that describes the category and reaches opposite sides. Do not rely on length alone. If you use the official hint, remember that it will reveal a theme word, not the spangram, so category brainstorming and edge scanning remain necessary.
“The new puzzle has not appeared.”
The daily change occurs at midnight in your local time zone. Verify the device time zone, then reload the NYT Games site or app. If you are trying to open an older board, that puzzle belongs to the subscription archive rather than the free current-day rotation.
Quick Recap
Key answers at a glance
- Grid: 6 by 8, containing 48 letters.
- Movement: adjacent horizontal, vertical or diagonal tiles; paths may change direction.
- Spangram: exactly one category-defining word or phrase that reaches opposite sides and is shown in yellow.
- Hint requirement: three fresh, valid non-theme words of at least four letters.
- Hint reveal: progressive letters from an unsolved theme word; never the spangram.
- Wrong guesses: no stated cost.
- Streak: a hint does not break it; missing a day does.
- Hint-free record: activating a hint removes that day’s “solved without hints” mark.
- Reset: midnight in your local time zone.
- Access: the current puzzle is free; the official archive requires an NYT Games subscription.
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