Today's Strands puzzle is a fun one, but it might well prove difficult to solve – so read on for my hints if you need them.
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 #157) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Oh, oh, oh!
NYT Strands today (game #157) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- MIST
- SLATE
- HEAT
- TRAY
- TONIC
- CHEAT
NYT Strands today (game #157) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Sounds just so
NYT Strands today (game #157) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
• First: bottom, 3rd column
• Last: top, 3rd column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #157) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #157, are…
- DOUGH
- MISTLETOE
- WHOA
- RAINBOW
- CHATEAU
- AVOCADO
- SPANGRAM: RHYMETIME
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
I sort of like this Strands puzzle, but also don't. Let me explain: on the one hand, I love the concept of 'words that all end with an 'O' sound. And I love even more that they're all different O sounds; OUGH, OE, OA, OW, EAU and indeed O. It's creative, it's challenging and it makes for a great instalment of Strands.
However, it has a flaw – and it concerns the spangram. The game's rules state that the spangram "describes the game's theme", but today's is RHYMETIME. Does that really describe the theme? Well, in one sense – because obviously all of these words rhyme. But the theme here isn't just 'rhyming words', it's specifically 'rhyming words that all have an 'O' sound'. I'm not sure how that could have been turned into a spangram, admittedly, but surely the NYT's puzzle setters could have tried.
Still, I'm being picky here. This is a fun Strands game that I enjoyed playing, and that's enough for me.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 6 August, game #156)
- SHEET
- BLANKET
- TOWEL
- PILLOWCASE
- TABLECLOTH
- SPANGRAM: LINENCLOSET
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.
