Hello! Today’s Strands puzzle is a real puzzle, so you’ll need your wits to solve it. Not feeling your smartest today? Don’t worry, I have some useful tips for you below. (But you don’t really need them. Go ahead, you can do it. You’ve got this!)
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 #52) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… This is a puzzle
NYT Strands Today (Game #52) – Hint #2 – Clue Words
What are good keywords these days?
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hint system.
• ROUND
• LASER
• DRY
• PRICES
• SQUARE
• MAGE
NYT Strands today (game #52) – hint #3 – spangram
What’s a hint for today’s spangram?
• Find them out
NYT Strands Today (Game #52) – Hint #4 – Spangram Position
Where does today’s spangram begin and end?
• Start: bottom, 3rd column
• End: top, 3rd column
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands Today (Game #52) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #52, are…
- MYSTERY
- PUZZLE
- QUANDARY
- PUZZLE
- PUZZLE
- SPANGRAM: BRAIN TEASERS
- My score: Very difficult
- My score: Perfect
I rate this one as very difficult, despite the fact that I solved it without using any hints, because, honestly, it was a very frustrating experience.
Maybe my brain just wasn’t in the right place for it, but it took me about half a day to figure it out. I started, stopped, took a break, started again, stopped again, got my hair cut, started, stopped, went to lunch… I just couldn’t find access.
Once I ‘got it’, I was away. The problem was finding the first answer. And that was made more difficult today because there were only six answers to be found, all relatively long words and usually with complicated spellings. Not that I couldn’t spell them (I’m a journalist, after all), but staring at the board didn’t make them materialize in the way simpler words often do.
Finally I saw MYSTERY, and that’s when I realized I needed it words that mean puzzle. And then CONUNDRUM, ENIGMA and QUANDARY followed. However, the spangram kept me entertained for ages – I could see BRAINTEASER and must have played it a dozen times because I was so convinced it was the answer before I finally realized that an ERS was needed after all. Oh!
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands Answers (Tuesday, April 23, Game #51)
- PECAN
- BUTTER
- FLOUR
- SALTY
- SYRUP
- SUGAR
- VANILLA
- SPANGRAM: INGREDIENTS
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT’s new word game, after Wordle and Connections. It is currently in beta 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.