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Strands is the latest word game from the NYT after Wordle, Spelling Bee, and Connections—and it’s a lot of fun. It can be tricky, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Check out my Wordle Today, NYT Connections Today, and Quordle Today pages for hints and answers for those games.
SPOILER ALERT: Below is information about today’s NYT Strands. So don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Strands Today (Game #186) – Hint #1 – Today’s Theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• The theme of today’s NYT Strands is… Going underground
NYT Strands Today (Contest #186) – Hint #2 – Clue Words
Play one of these words to unlock the hint system in the game.
- POINT
- BRUNT
- FENCE
- TAROT
- LETTER
- PRUNING
NYT Strands Today (Contest #186) – Hint #3 – Spangram
What’s a hint for today’s spangram?
• Dig them up
NYT Strands Today (Contest #186) – Hint #4 – Spangram Position
Which two sides of the board are affected by today’s spangram?
First: right, 7th row
Last: left, 5th row
Okay, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands Today (Contest #186) – The Answers
The answers to today’s Strands question, game #186, are…
- POTATO
- TURN
- BEET
- TARO
- SWEET TURIP
- JICAMA
- SPANGRAM: ROOT VEGETABLES
- My rating: Difficult
- My score: 1 tip
I love root vegetables but I have to admit I’ve never heard of JICAMA, I’ve vaguely heard of TARO, I know RUTABAGA by its more common (outside of North America) name of swede and I know BEET by its more common (in the UK at least) name of BEETROOT. In short… I found this one quite a tough one!
JICAMA was the only one I really needed a clue for, because the combination of the theme clue and my accidental discovery of POTATO was enough to get me started. TURNIP was an obvious one, and I know enough about BEET thanks to the US office (thanks, Dwight!) to guess that one.
Then I got the spangram, which gave me TARO by default (and some trial and error). That left just JICAMA and RUTABAGA; I used a hint, which gave me JICAMA, and solved it by trying multiple combinations of letters until one was correct. RUTABAGA needed a similar approach; swede would have been much easier, honestly…
How was your day? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday’s Answers to the NYT Strands (Wednesday, September 4, Contest #185)
- BOWS
- GLACIER
- SERIOUS WOOD
- SAGUARO
- UNAVAILABLE COUNTRIES
- SPANGRAM: NATIONAL PARKS
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the new word game from the NYT, after Wordle and Connections. It is now out of beta and is therefore a full member of the NYT stable of games and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I have a complete guide to playing NYT Strands, complete with tips to solve the game. If you are having a hard time beating the game every day, you can definitely check it out.