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 #167) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Carle classic
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- SLANG
- GLEE
- WHELP
- HELP
- MICE
- RAIL
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Bedtime story
NYT Strands today (game #167) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: left, 3rd 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 #167) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #167, are…
- LEAF
- APPLE
- PICKLE
- SALAMI
- WATERMELON
- SPANGRAM: HUNGRYCATERPILLAR
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 5 hints
OK, so what we have here is the most difficult, stupidest Strands puzzle for weeks – unless you happen to a) know what the reference to 'Carle classic' means and b) remember what all of the things eaten by the HUNGRYCATERPILLAR were.
I did not recall that Eric Carle was the author of that classic children's book, until after I got the spangram and realized what linked these answers. In my defense, my daughters are 14. It is at least 11 years since I read that book to them, and expecting me (or anyone else) to remember the dietary choices of a growing insect after more than a decade is, well, stupid. Plus, it's called the VERY Hungy Caterpillar, but 'very' doesn't feature in the spangram.
Anyway, I needed clues for every single one of the answers other than PICKLE, which I got by accident, so this was deeply unsatisfying.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Friday 16 August, game #166)
- SINK
- SWIM
- MAKE
- BREAK
- FEAST
- FAMINE
- DOUBLE
- NOTHING
- SPANGRAM: OPTIONS
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.
