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 #315) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Wait, what?
NYT Strands Today (Game #315) – Hint #2 – Clue Words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hint system.
- BAAL
- TRACK
- STURDY
- TREE
- NUTS
- BEAR
NYT Strands Today (game #315) – hint #3 – spangram
What’s a hint for today’s spangram?
• Stunned
NYT Strands Today (Game #315) – Hint #4 – Spangram Position
What are the two sides of the board that today’s spangram comes into contact with?
First side: top, 4th column
Last side: bottom, 3rd column
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands Today (Game #315) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #315, are…
- STUN
- AMAZING
- GOBSMACK
- SURPRISE
- FLABBERGAST
- SPANGRAM: MINDBLOWN
- My rating: Simple
- My score: Perfect
There are some brilliant words in today’s Strands that feel like they belong in boys’ comics from the 1950s and haven’t been heard much since: GOBSMACK and FLABBERGAST.
I was pleased – though not exactly stunned – to learn that Flabbergast originated in Sussex, the English county where I was born, although it’s unclear why that particular area popularized a word that originally meant “shocked tubby person.”
Gobsmack is also interesting and started again as a portmanteau of two slang words – Gob (for mouth, coined in Ireland in the 16th century) and Smack, which describes the sound of a flat hand hitting something – thus hitting your mouth in shock. Something I immediately imagine Stan Laurel doing.
Meanwhile, today’s big SURPRISE was that I completed Strands again without any hints.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands Answers (Saturday, January 11, Game #314)
- MORNING GLOW
- TWILIGHT
- AFTERNOON
- EVENING
- MORNING
- DAYBREAK
- TWILIGHT
- SPANGRAM: TIMING
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.