NYT Strands Today – Hints, Answers and Spangram for Thursday, November 21 (Game #263)
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.
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 #263) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… You’re getting warm
NYT Strands Today (Game #263) – Hint #2 – Clue Words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hint system.
NYT Strands today (game #263) – hint #3 – spangram
What’s a hint for today’s spangram?
• Watch the flames dance
NYT Strands Today (Game #263) – Hint #4 – Spangram Position
What are the two sides of the board that today’s spangram comes into contact with?
First: left, 5th row
Last: right, 5th row
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands Today (Game #263) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #263, are…
- POKER
- CHIMNEY
- BROOM
- SMOKE
- FIREPLACE
- SCREEN
- MANTEL
- SPANGRAM: FIREPLACE
- My rating: Simple
- My score: Perfect
This will get me a date, but does anyone else remember those wonderful Busytown and Lowly Worm books by Richard Scarry? I loved these as kids, flipping through the illustrations looking for all the different named objects and characters. Playing Strands sometimes feels like a similar exercise. “Today’s theme, kids, is FIREPLACE. Now name as many related words as you can. Yes, CHIMNEY, that’s a good one. Well done, you have BROOM!”
That’s the point of Strands, I think, but it’s also more challenging when the puzzle is a bit more creative—for example, if it involves pairs of things, or phrases, or logic in some way. Just naming things is a lot easier, and Strands isn’t a difficult game at the best of times. We’ve played over 250 games now, and I don’t think I’ve ever failed in one. Compare that to Connections, where I fail regularly, and you see the problem.
Anyway, there’s no major problem with today’s game; it’s just a bit easy to hold attention for more than a few minutes. Maybe that’s not a bad thing, considering how busy we all are.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands Answers (Wednesday, November 20, Game #262)
- WASTE
- BONE
- COLLAR
- QUESTION
- BALL
- LASER
- CATNIP
- SPANGRAM: ANIMAL DELIVERIES
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.
