Today's Strands puzzle from the NYT is a tough one – or at least that was my experience. You may well disagree, but if not there are hints below.
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 #161) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Home stretch?
NYT Strands today (game #161) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- MOOT
- TOME
- RUNS
- SANDY
- OVER
- PAINT
NYT Strands today (game #161) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Outdoor living
NYT Strands today (game #161) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: left, 5th row
Last: right, 6th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #161) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #161, are…
- DECK
- PATIO
- VERANDA
- BALCONY
- SUNROOM
- TERRACE
- SPANGRAM: BONUSSPACES
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 4 hints
I really, really struggled with today's Strands. I struggled to get started, and needed a hint to find the first word. That was DECK, and I struggled then to see the relationship to the theme clue, 'Home stretch?', and so needed another hint. That gave me PATIO, at which point I realized what I needed to do. However, I then struggled to think of – or find – any other words. Eventually I needed hints for BALCONY and SUNROOM, and by that stage there were very few words that could still be formed, so I did manage to find the others. Even so, the spangram, BONUSSPACES, still took me an age to uncover. Not a good day.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday 10 August, game #160)
- HOCKEY
- CONTROL
- LICORICE
- MEMORY
- SWIZZLE
- CINNAMON
- SPANGRAM: STICKS
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.
