Buzz
The New York Times has unveiled another exciting word game, Strands, adding to their collection of popular puzzles like Connections and Spelling Bee. This new game, developed by the creators of Wordle and their legendary crossword puzzles, which debuted in 1942, promises to deliver hours of entertainment.
Strands was released just yesterday, and players can now dive into puzzle #2. As with most new NYT games, Strands is currently in a "beta" phase, accessible online but not yet available on the NYT Games app (previously known as the Crossword app). You can access Strands directly via this link.
What are the rules for playing Strands?
For a quick overview, visit this link to watch a tutorial that breaks down the gameplay. However, if you'd like a preview of what to expect, keep reading.
The Strands board consists of a 6x8 letter grid, resembling a compact word search. You can form words by swiping your finger or cursor across the letters, or by tapping/clicking each letter individually. On touchscreens, an additional tap on the final letter is required to submit, while using a mouse or trackpad simply requires releasing the button.
Strands differs from a traditional word search in several ways:
Unlike traditional word searches, there’s no word bank to guide you on which words to find.
Words can curve and twist in any direction, even diagonally, similar to the mechanics of Boggle.
Every letter on the grid belongs to a word. Once all words are discovered, the grid will be completely filled.
Does this sound challenging? It might be, but the theme, hints, and the absence of penalties for mistakes make it manageable. I’ll delve into how these elements work, but first, let’s discuss how to make your guesses effectively.
What qualifies as a valid word in Strands?
Here are some key points to keep in mind.
Words must be at least four letters long; three-letter words are not allowed.
You can connect letters in any direction: vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.
Yes, diagonal connections are perfectly valid!
Words rarely form straight lines; expect plenty of curves and bends.
Once a letter is used in a word, it cannot be reused in another word.
The last rule doesn’t exclude repeated letters. For instance, when spelling COMMA, you’ll find two M’s adjacent to each other on the board. (This differs from Spelling Bee, where the same letter can be tapped multiple times.)
What role do themes play in Strands?
Each puzzle is centered around a theme, and the title provides a subtle clue about it. For example, puzzle #1 was titled “Mark my words,” and all the words on the board aligned with this theme, such as COMMA, PERIOD, and APOSTROPHE.
A unique theme-related word, known as the “spangram,” will always span from one side of the puzzle to the opposite side. In puzzle #1, the word PUNCTUATION stretched vertically from top to bottom. Once discovered, the spangram is highlighted in yellow, while other words appear in blue.
How can I access hints while playing Strands?
The hint button in Strands is ingeniously designed to enhance gameplay without offering an easy way out. Rather than simply providing a cheat, hints are integrated into the game mechanics. Players earn hints by identifying valid words that aren't part of the solution, meaning the more challenging the game, the more hints you accumulate. Here's a breakdown of how this system operates.
A guide to earning hints in Strands
Discovering dictionary words that aren't part of the solution triggers the hint button to gradually fill up. For instance, in the punctuation-themed puzzle, highlighting the word SOLO (which has no connection to punctuation) will cause the grayed-out Hint button to progress like a bar. Accumulating three unrelated words grants you one hint.
A guide to utilizing hints in Strands
When your hint button is fully charged, it becomes active. Simply press it, and one of the target words will be marked with dashed-line circles around its letters.
This indicates the word's location and the letters it includes, but you’ll still need to determine how to connect those letters to form the correct word.
The dashed-circle highlight remains on the board until you solve the word. You’re free to tackle other words first, but any additional hints you earn will remain locked until you complete the hinted word.
What is the limit for mistakes in Strands?
Another fantastic feature is that mistakes have no consequences! If you accidentally misspell a word while selecting it, there’s no penalty. Highlighting a dictionary word unrelated to the theme even helps you earn hints. At the end of the game, the emoji summary only reflects your correct answers and the number of hints you utilized.
What do the emojis signify in Strands?
After completing the puzzle, you’ll receive an emoji-based summary of your gameplay. This recap shows the sequence in which you solved the words, using three distinct icons:
Blue indicates a standard word was found.
Yellow signifies the discovery of the spangram.
A lightbulb represents the use of a hint.
For instance, here’s my recap from yesterday:
Strands #1 “Mark my words” 🔵🟡🔵🔵 🔵🔵🔵
Here’s an example from someone who used a hint to kick things off:
Strands #1 “Mark my words” 💡🔵🔵🔵 🔵🟡🔵🔵
What does it take to win Strands?
Now that you know how to play, let’s talk strategy.
First, understand the game’s nature. As a brand-new game, Strands is bound to have unexpected twists. In the NYT article introducing it, Tracy Bennett, the editor (who also oversees Wordle), hints at future developments:
Themes may include fill-in-the-blank phrases, steps in a process, items from the same category, synonyms, or homophones. Similar to Wordle, Bennett plans to vary the difficulty, occasionally throwing curveballs to Strands players.
This implies we might encounter themes reminiscent of those in Connections that can be frustratingly tricky. (Who could forget the infamous STICK and GLUE pairing in the “sticky” category?)
For current strategies, here are some helpful tips:
Begin by guessing the theme early and searching for the spangram. Not only does it reveal the theme, but it also divides the board into two smaller sections.
If you suspect you’ve found a word but can’t complete it, revisit the starting point and check if the word exists elsewhere. For instance, while attempting to spell PUNCTUATION, I initially took a wrong turn after the letter N, not realizing there were two C’s to choose from.
Whenever you identify a word, consider how it connects to the puzzle’s title. In today’s puzzle (#2), the title referenced a “she.” After finding a non-spangram word, I brainstormed female figures associated with it. My first guess was Taylor Swift, but when that didn’t fit, my second thought led me straight to the solution.
Don’t hesitate to make incorrect guesses to earn hints. This practice helps you spot words more easily, and you might stumble upon theme-related words while searching for non-theme ones.
I’m thrilled to see how Strands evolves in the future. As players become more familiar with the gameplay style, I anticipate the puzzles will grow significantly more challenging. Best of luck solving them!
