NYT Strands Today – My Hints, Answers, and Spangram for Tuesday, December 17 (Game #289)
Strands is the NYT’s newest word game, following Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s a lot of fun. It can be difficult though, so read on for my Strands tips.
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 today’s NYT Strands is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #289) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… It’s Lit!
NYT Strands Today (Game #289) – Hint #2 – Clue Words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hint system.
- STAIRS
- LAST
- SHOPPING CART
- FIRST
- SWEET
- LEAVE
NYT Strands Today (game #289) – hint #3 – spangram
What’s a hint for today’s spangram?
• Book types
NYT Strands Today (Game #289) – Hint #4 – Spangram Position
What are the two sides of the board that today’s spangram comes into contact with?
First side: left, 4th row
Last side: right, 4th row
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands Today (Game #289) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #289, are…
- CRIME
- FANTASY
- ROMANCE
- WESTERN
- HISTORIC
- SPANGRAM: FICTION GENRE
- My rating: Simple
- My score: 1 tip
According to Writer’s overview there are 114 FICTION GENREs and subgenres – not to mention WESTERN (a genre of literature set in the American Old West and generally set from the late eighteenth to the late nineteenth centuries).
Alternative genres of the current Strands could have been: Fabulist, Dark fantasy, Biopunk, Supernatural Menace and Bangsian Fantasy (stories that speculate on the afterlives of famous people). Oh, and Wuxia (fantasy stories set within the martial arts traditions and philosophies of China). I suspect that if any of these things had been included, I might have had more trouble with them than I do here.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands Answers (Monday, December 16, Game #288)
- SMOG
- SPORT
- BRUNCH
- ZORSE
- ATHLEISURE
- ONE-WAY
- SPANGRAM: PORTMANTEAUX
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT’s new word game, after Wordle and Connections. It is now out of beta so is a full member of the NYT’s stable of games and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I have a full guide to playing NYT Strands, complete with troubleshooting tips, so give that a read if you’re struggling to beat it every day.