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 #199) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Handy helpers
NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- LIVE
- LIVER
- LIVID
- WEAR
- CLOSE
- CLOSET
NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Essential DIY collection
NYT Strands today (game #199) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: right, 7th row
Last: left, 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 #199) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #199, are…
- KNIFE
- PLIERS
- HAMMER
- SCREWDRIVER
- WRENCH
- LEVEL
- SPANGRAM: TOOLCHEST
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
Deep in my shed, behind assorted boxes, no-longer-working gadgets and unneeded cables, covered in dust and surrounded by oh-so-many spiders there is a box. That box contains my DIY tools. There is a HAMMER, a rusty one admittedly, but it's there all the same. There are many SCREWDRIVERs, some of which I even occasionally use. There is a LEVEL, a KNIFE, a couple of WRENCHes and some PLIERS – the latter of which are entirely rusted up and now useless.
So, solving this Strands puzzle was simply a matter of me thinking about what lurks within my TOOLCHEST. I didn't actually go out there and look – because a) that would be cheating, b) it would be far more effort than I was willing to put in this early in the day and c) those spiders. So. Many. Spiders.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 17 September, game #198)
- SPRING
- TRAMPOLINE
- ECHO
- BASKETBALL
- KANGAROO
- SPANGRAM: LETSBOUNCE
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.
