Looking for answers to the NYT Strands? Or maybe Wordle, Connections, Mini Crossword? We got them all. Click around. But for now, stick here. Today’s Strands was tough. Really tough.
You might want to hydrate while solving it. Just a hint.
Some of these words hide behind a wall of confusion. The unscrambling is messy. If you are stuck, keep reading. Don’t panic.
I’ve explained the rules elsewhere. If you need those answers too, CNET covers the bases. Wordle. Connections. You know the drill.
“The goal is simple in theory, chaotic in practice.”
The theme is simple. The puzzle is not.
Today’s theme: Just chill.
If that means nothing to you, look again. Think about temperature. Or posture. Bottoms up.
Here is how the game works, roughly. Find any word you can. It has to be at least four letters. Do it three times. The game rewards you by showing you a theme-related hint word.
It does not have to be the right words. It just has to work.
Here are the ones I used to get unstuck:
- BASE
- ERASE
- STEEL
- RATE
- ERASER
- DOZE
- MUCH
- DOZER
- MOVE
These words helped me find the path. Any similar block of four letters will do.
What are you drinking?
Once the hints appear, the theme clicks into place.
The goal? Find the hidden words. Then find the spangram. The big word that spans the grid. Usually from side to side.
When you have them all, the board fills up. Every single letter belongs somewhere. I used to think there were always eight words. That’s not true. The count varies.
Here are the drinks hiding in today’s grid:
- BEER
- SODA
- SELTZER
- WATER
- JUICE
- KOMBUCHA
Thirsty work.
The Spangram: BEVERAGECOOLERS
The big fish today is BEVERAGECOOLERS.
Finding it feels like a scavenger hunt. Start with the B. It sits three rows down from the top-left corner. Wait. Four letters down? Check the position.
Start at the B that is three rows over from the far left? No, the text says three rows over… four letters down?
Actually, locate the B three rows over from the far left edge. Then go four letters down from there.
Wind the word down, around, over. It takes a full circuit of the mind.
“Start at the B, then follow the current.”
What makes a puzzle hard?
Some topics hurt more than others.
#1: Dated slang.
Old words bite hard. You probably didn’t use them when they were new. They feel foreign now.
Toughest word: PHAT.
#2: Whales.
Or marine life generally. Unless you are a biologist, good luck.
Toughest word: BALEEN. Or maybe RIGHT. As in Right Whale? It’s confusing.
Sometimes you solve it. Sometimes you just stare at the letters. Which one feels more true to life?
