Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
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 NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
Marc is TechRadar’s Global Editor in Chief and has been obsessed with Wordle and its ilk for more than two years. He's authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar, including a daily today's Wordle answer column and a detailed analysis of the most common letters in Wordle in every position. He's also played every Wordle ever and only lost once and yes, he takes it all too seriously.
NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Old hang-ups
NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- SEVERE
- CHIT
- CHOIR
- GREED
- LION
- CARD
NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Pick up if you're there
NYT Strands today (game #273) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: right, 4th row
Last: left, 3rd row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #273) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #273, are…
- RECEIVER
- SWITCH
- DIAL
- CRADLE
- HANDSET
- RINGER
- SPANGRAM: ROTARYPHONE
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
This was another nice Strands puzzle, with a straightforward theme in some ways, but more interesting than some due to both the nostalgia factor and the fact that its era made it harder.
We're talking here about the ROTARYPHONE, a device that those under about 30 will probably only know from TV shows such as Stranger Things. It really does seem incredible that as recently as the 1990s – or certainly the '80s – these were ubiquitous but now they're hardly seen at all. Then again, it seems equally unlikely that people wouldn't be able to contact you on the go, or that only one member of a household could have a telephone conversation at once.
The theme clue here was fairly cryptic, but I spotted RECEIVER by accident and that gave me the concept right away. After that it was a question of raiding my childhood memories of life in a world where you actually had to remember people's phone number…
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 30 November, game #272)
- WIND
- LIFE
- COME
- EASY
- REAL
- BLOWS
- FANTASY
- SPANGRAM: BOHEMIANRHAPSODY
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
