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 #217) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Got any bleu cheese?
NYT Strands today (game #217) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- LATE
- GLADE
- BLADE
- NICK
- CHICK
- TOAST
NYT Strands today (game #217) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Food in rows
NYT Strands today (game #217) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: top, fourth column
Last: bottom, fifth column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #217) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #217, are…
- BACON
- CHICKEN
- TOMATO
- VINAIGRETTE
- GREENS
- EGGS
- SPANGRAM: COBBSALAD
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: Perfect
I presume there might be a split between people in the US and those in the rest of the world here. Or maybe it's only me that had not really heard of a COBBSALAD and therefore struggled to solve this one. I was also very confused by the theme clue of 'Got any bleu cheese?', which made me think it was something French – because otherwise why is it spelled 'bleu' and not 'blue'. So the whole thing was a bit baffling.
I solved it in the end, but it was really just a case of trial and error. I spotted BACON early on, and CHICKEN too, so I realized it was a food-themed puzzle. The others took me a while to find, and getting the spangram was entirely based on there being nothing else it could be by the time that I got it. Not the most satisfying game for me – though if you know and like Cobb Salad (which to me sounds disgusting) then maybe you'll have been fine with it. Ho hum.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Saturday 5 October, game #216)
- SHAM
- FAKE
- QUACK
- PHONY
- HOAK
- CHARLATAN
- HUMBUG
- SPANGRAM: THATSUNREAL
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.
