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 #315) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Wait what?
NYT Strands today (game #315) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- BALE
- RAIL
- SOLID
- BOOM
- NUTS
- BEAR
NYT Strands today (game #315) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Bewildered
NYT Strands today (game #315) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: top, 4th column
Last side: bottom, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #315) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #315, are…
- STUN
- ASTONISH
- GOBSMACK
- SURPRISE
- FLABBERGAST
- SPANGRAM: MINDBLOWN
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
There’s a couple of brilliant words in today’s Strands that feel as if they belong in boy’s comics from the 1950s and have not been heard much since – GOBSMACK and FLABBERGAST.
I was pleased – although not particularly gobsmacked – to learn that Flabbergast originated in Sussex, which is the English county where I was born, although quite why that particular area popularized a word which originally meant “shocked tubby person” is uncertain.
Gobsmack is also interesting and again began as a portmanteau of two slang words – Gob (for mouth, coined in Ireland in the 16th century) and Smack, which describes the sound of a flat hand hitting something – so hitting your mouth in shock. Something I instantly imagine Stan Laurel doing.
Meanwhile, today’s big SURPRISE was that I completed Strands again without any hints.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday, 11 January, game #314)
- DAWN
- DUSK
- NOON
- EVENING
- MORNING
- DAYBREAK
- TWILIGHT
- SPANGRAM: TIMING
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.
