A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Sunday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Sunday, April 20 (game #412).
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 #414) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… What talent!
NYT Strands today (game #414) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- BASIC
- RICE
- GLUE
- CAGE
- COIN
- URGE
NYT Strands today (game #414) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 11 letters
NYT Strands today (game #414) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: bottom, 4th column
Last side: top, 2nd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #414) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #414, are…
- ACROBAT
- JUGGLER
- DUET
- COMIC
- MAGICIAN
- DANCER
- SPANGRAM: VARIETY ACTS
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
My immediate thoughts on today’s theme were TV talent shows and the many variants of such and such a country’s “got talent”.
In the UK, our version ran out of talent and we started importing contestants that had appeared in other country’s versions of the show. At that point the emphasis switched from unearthing talent and more about creating a fun TV show, which it did – but it broke the format. Hard to keep up the illusion of judgement when you’ve cast the competitors.
Anyway, I digress. Knowing the VARIETY ACTS we were looking for made for a very dull Strands. Although having DUET instead of SINGER is a slight curveball. Also missing were the cute dog acts that seem an integral part of a variety show — or at least ones involving Simon Cowell.
Concerns about exploitation have seen, probably correctly, the decline of performing animals – apart from dogs, who seem more than happy to humiliate themselves dancing / jumping over tiny fences / posing on pedestals / smoking pipes / catching frisbees / wearing bomber jackets and pork pie hats for human entertainment. Not good enough to make Strands though, lads.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Sunday, 20 April, game #413)
- BUNNY
- TOYS
- BOOK
- EGGS
- CHOCOLATE
- CANDY
- PEEPS
- SPANGRAM: EASTER BASKET
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which 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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