Strands is a relatively new puzzle game from the vast library of New York Times games. It’s a twist on the old standby of word search puzzles. This is a game that challenges your brain, along with the depth of your vocabulary.
When playing Strands, you’ll be presented with a 6×8 grid of 48 letters arranged in random order. Your objective is to find words that share a common theme.
If you are a fan of such word games as Scrabble or Boggle, or you enjoy the challenge of solving anagrams, then Strands is the game for you.
Juliette Seive, a research editor on the New York Times games team, is given credit for spawning the Strands Game. She came up with the concept after hearing from regular players in the New York Times games sections that the New York Times word search was too easy to solve.
Strands was originally released by the New York Times into their game library as a beta launch on March 4, 2024. On June 26, 2024, Strands was added to the New York Times games portfolio on a permanent basis.
The Strands puzzles are created and edited by Tracy Bennett. Bennett is also the editor who is responsible for the popular New York Times Wordle puzzles.
How To Play Strands UK Game
Traditional word search players who are purists might feel that they are cheating when they first begin playing Strands. While it’s true that Strands is a version of a word search puzzle, it also literally bends the rules.
In a standard word search puzzle, words are discovered up, down, across, or stretching diagonally across the grid. With Strands, the words can snake their way around the grid in any direction. They can be found vertically, horizontally and diagonally. Some words will even switch direction in the midst of unearthing the word.
Your task is to fill the entire grid with words in order to complete the puzzle. No words will overlap and no letter on the grid is used in more than one word. Proper names are not permitted in the game of Strands.
One of the key elements in solving the Strands puzzle is to find what’s known as the Spangram. This will either be a word, or a two-word phrase, that will stretch from one side of the grid to the other. While all of the words in Strands connect to the game’s theme, the Spangram is describing exactly what it is that all these words share in common. And unlike the other words in the puzzle, it is allowable for the Spangram to be a proper name.
While there is a theme to every Strands puzzle, not all of the words are connected to the theme. When you unearth a word that is part of the day’s theme, it will highlight in blue. The Spangram will highlight in yellow when it is located.
Strands Game Tips And Strategies For UK Players
One of the glorious aspects of playing the Strands Game is that they are constantly dropping hints to help you along the way.
Right at the outset, you will be provided with a clue to the theme of the day’s game. They will also inform you of the total number of words that must be found to complete the puzzle.
If you get stuck while trying to solve that day’s Strands, click on the hint button. With every three non-theme words you locate, the game will drop a hint for you.
One strategy that some Strands players employ is to set out to find the Spangram first. Working the corners is another popular strategy. Words that touch the corner of the grid can only head in three directions, so they can be easier to find.
Where To Play Strands Game
Certainly, you can simply opt to play the Strands game on the New York Times games page. However, it’s vital to keep in mind that this game will be utilizing the American spelling of words.
If you prefer to play with British spellings, options to play Strands include StrandsGame.net.
Similar Alternative Games To Strands Game
Suppose you are seeking out a game that is similar to Strands to try out for a change. Any of these following games should fill that order.
Wordle
Each day, one five-letter word is put forth for that day’s Wordle answer. It comes from among a list of 2,309 five-letter words that are commonplace in the English language. You start out with 30 empty squares and are provided six guesses to come up with the correct answer.
Connections
With Connections, you are given a group of 16 words. Your objective is to compile these words in four distinct groups that each have an element of connection.
Letter Boxed
You start out with a square featuring three letters per side and 12 letters in total. You must connect the letters to make words of at least three letters. You have to use all of the letters at least once and in as few words as possible.
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