Here's another Strands puzzle from the NYT, designed to get your brain working first thing in the morning – or indeed, last thing at night if you prefer doing it that way. If you need help, read on for my 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 #121) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Heat and eat
NYT Strands today (game #121) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- CHIME
- LAZE
- BARE
- BASE
- STARE
- BLADE
NYT Strands today (game #121) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Food prep
NYT Strands today (game #121) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First: right, 6th row
• Last: left, 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 #121) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #121, are…
- STEAM
- DEGLAZE
- BRAISE
- FLAMBE
- BLANCH
- POACH
- SIMMER
- SPANGRAM: COOKING
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
Strands is often a simple game: you work out what the theme clue is, get one answer to confirm your theory, solve the others reasonably easily. But occasionally you can tick off the first two actions but struggle with the third. Today was one of those games.
The theme clue, heat and eat, was relatively obvious, and when I uncovered STEAM early on I thought this would be a cinch. But no. There was no BOIL or BROIL or GRILL or GRIDDLE or TOAST or ROAST or FRY. No MICROWAVE or BAKE or BARBECUE. Where were the answers?!
Eventually, I uncovered DEGLAZE almost by accident and realized I would need more advanced cooking techniques. The spangram, which was simply COOKING, made things a little simpler, dividing the board in half nicely. And then it was a case of me needing to search my brain for ways to prepare food. I got them all in the end, but it took me a while.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday 1 July, game #120)
- GONG
- DRUM
- TRIANGLE
- RATTLE
- CYMBAL
- TAMBOURINE
- SPANGRAM: PERCUSSION
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.
