NYT Strands today — my hints, answers and spangram for Thursday, December 12 (game #284)

NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
(Image credit: New York Times)

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 NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shape and bake

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • STEEL
  • STEER
  • REST
  • BELT
  • MOAN
  • DINT

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

Kitchen template

NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: left, 5th row

Last: right, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #284) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 284 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #284, are…

  • BUNNY
  • BELL
  • STAR
  • DIAMOND
  • HEART
  • ANGEL
  • SPANGRAM: COOKIECUTTER

  • My rating: Moderate
  • My score: 2 hints

It's a long, long time since I've baked cookies. Actually, no, I have baked cookies in the past couple of years, but they were just splodges of gooey chocolatey goodness, not perfectly shaped BELLs, STARs, DIAMONDs or HEARTs as you would get if you used a COOKIE CUTTER.

Maybe that's a failing on my part, but they all taste the same, right – so why risk losing some mixture by creating shapes? Then again, I'm not five years old, and my kids are older teens, so pretty shapes are not going to be appreciated in the same way as they would be by a pre-schooler.

My unfamiliarity with the form definitely hurt my Strands game today; I needed a couple of hints to get going, and it was only once I spotted the spangram that things got easier. Maybe I'll bake myself a cookie to cheer myself up.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.


Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #283)

  • VISE
  • DRILL
  • LATHE
  • PLANE
  • CHISEL
  • JIGSAW
  • SANDER
  • SPANGRAM: WOODWORKING

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.

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Contributor

Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.

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