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 #172) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Smoothie moves
NYT Strands today (game #172) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- PORE
- DROP
- SITTER
- PING
- TIRE
- BRIDE
NYT Strands today (game #172) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Blade runnings
NYT Strands today (game #172) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: top, 4th column
Last: bottom, 4th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #172) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #172, are…
- CHOP
- STIR
- WHIP
- PULSE
- LIQUEFY
- GRIND
- PUREE
- SPANGRAM: BLENDERSETTING
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: 3 hints
Who knew a blender could do so much? I struggled to find all of the answers here, and needed three hints to help me complete it. That said, it's not the most coherent Strands puzzle ever, to my mind. The spangram BLENDERSETTING just about works – though it would be better if it were plural, given there are lots of settings here – but the theme clue of 'Smoothie moves' is something of a red herring, given that these are not all things you'd do to a smoothie. Or at least I don't think so – I'm not a smoothie expert, but WHIP? I'm not so sure.
Anyway, I needed three hints to really get going here, and when it came to finding the spangram was confused by BLENDER being available in two positions on the board. On the plus side, I now really want to make a smoothie…
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday 21 August, game #171)
- CAKE
- PARTY
- GIFTS
- CARDS
- CANDLES
- CELEBRATE
- SPANGRAM: HAPPYBIRTHDAY
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.
