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 #178) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Commuter benefits
NYT Strands today (game #178) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- FRAIL
- ABRUPT
- SWAB
- STUB
- SCANT
- TEEN
NYT Strands today (game #178) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Mass transit
NYT Strands today (game #178) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: left, 6th row
Last: right, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #178) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #178, are…
- FERRY
- TRAIN
- STREETCAR
- MONORAIL
- SUBWAY
- SPANGRAM: PUBLICTRANSPORT
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
This is an incredibly straightforward and very easy Strands puzzle, with no real complications at all. The theme clue of 'Commuter benefits' pretty much gives the game away, and once you found the likes of FERRY or TRAIN you'll have known exactly what you needed to do here.
That said, there was one minor complication – namely that the spangram was very long and potentially hard to find. I spotted TRANSPORT early on, and figured it was part of the spangram, but it didn't turn yellow and I knew it wouldn't do, because it didn't touch two sides of the board. It was only relatively late on that I realized it had the word PUBLIC in front of it, at which point everything clicked into place.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 27 August, game #177)
- PEPPERS
- ZUCCHINI
- EGGPLANT
- TOMATOES
- ONIONS
- SPANGRAM: RATATOUILLE
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.
