NYT Strands Today – Hints, Answers and Spangram for Thursday, November 14 (Game #256)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games. And don't be surprised if you need them especially for Wordle, because today's Wordle is so difficult that it almost cost me my 1,045 game streak.SPOILER WARNING: Information about today's NYT Strands is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.Your Strands expertYour Strands expertMarc McLarenSocial link navigationEditor-in-chief of the worldNYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #1 - today's themeWhat is the theme of today's NYT Strands?• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Name of the GameNYT Strands Today (Game #256) - Hint #2 - Clue WordsPlay any of these words to unlock the in-game hint system.SHOPPING CARTCARDCARDSCLUNKlumpsFINALNYT Strands today (game #256) - hint #3 - spangramWhat's a hint for today's spangram?• It's a mysteryNYT Strands Today (Game #256) - Hint #4 - Spangram PositionWhat are the two sides of the board that today's spangram comes into contact with?First: top, 3rd columnLast: bottom, 5th columnOkay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.NYT Strands Today (Game #256) - The Answers(Image credit: New York Times)The answers to today's Strands, game #256, are...PLUMVEGETABLESPEACOCKMUSTARDORCHIDSCARLETSPANGRAM: DIRECTIONSMy rating: ModerateMy score: 2 tipsI have mixed feelings about today's Strands puzzle. On the one hand, it's a pretty challenging part that I had to use my brain (and memory) to solve. On the other hand, it has some anomalies that detract somewhat from the experience.Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, and get all your favorite TechRadar content.The theme here is CLUESUSPECTS, as the spangram puts it, and apart from the fact that it's called CLUEDO in the UK, I have no problem with it as a concept. However, I'm a little miffed that one of the answers is ORCHID. I'm no expert, but my online research has led me to understand that ORCHID was only added as a character in 2016, in place of Mrs. (or Chef) White, and was removed in 2023. Considering that CLUE/CLUEDO has been around since the 1940s, that seems like an oddly short change to include here. Additionally, Mrs. SCARLET was called Mrs. SCARLETT with two Ts from 1949 to 1963, then lost the second T in the US and regained it in 2016. That's fine, but then you have the SCARLET spelling from one era and the ORCHID character from another. It's all a bit messy.On the other hand, I am petty. This Strands puzzle is fine, although I needed two hints to determine what the concept actually was. Once I got it, it was easy enough to solve, even taking into account the slight strangeness surrounding a few answers. Either way, it made me want to play it again for the first time in decades, so that's not a bad thing.How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.Yesterday's NYT Strands Answers (Wednesday, November 13, Game #255)HUMANGIBBONKANGAROOSHADOWSMeerkatOSTRICHSPANGRAM: TWO PEDALWhat 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.