The newest simple brain game from The New York Times is Strands, which feels like a mix of a traditional word search and a topic-focused puzzle like Connections. If you need help getting used to the new game or want some extra hints to help you solve the latest puzzle, we're here to offer as much or as little help as needed.
How to Play Strands
You're dealing with a 6 x 8 grid of letters and need to find words, but unlike a traditional word search, the flow of each word can travel in different directions and pivot. In other words, the "strands" of letters pivot all over the place. You can tap or trace your finger on your mobile device to submit a word.
Each day's puzzle has a somewhat obtuse theme that reads like a crossword clue. Official puzzle words are all related to that theme, but there's also a way to receive further hints: if you submit three words unrelated to the theme, you'll receive a hint in the form of all the letters needed for a word related to the theme. These always need to be four letters or longer.
It'll then be up to you to guess the flow of that particular strand. As you unlock official guesses, they'll be highlighted in blue. Eventually, you'll uncover the theme's name in gold — called a Spangram! — as it bisects the rest of the puzzle and touches two opposite sides of the board.
In the above example, the theme is "What's so funny?" The yellow Spangram is "HILARIOUS" so all of the words are essentially different forms of laughter like "HOOT" and "CHUCKLE."
April 2 Puzzle Hints
Today's theme is "Rolling in the aisles."
As a vague hint, what place does everyone go to with aisles? What are the different sections of that place called?
Today's Non-Theme Words for Strands
You can submit plenty of non-theme words based on the letters on the board. Remember that they have to have at least four letters. Once you bank three, you can collect an official Hint highlighting all the letters used in an on-theme word.
- MOTT
- MOTTS
- ROTS
- MOST
- MAST
- ROAST
- FROST
- ZERO
- RAID
- FROZE
- SOBER
- CAKE
- FOOD
- COSY
- CODE
- DUCE
- PROD
- SAFE
- SAFER
- GROCER
- MEAT
- BAKE
There may be more non-theme words than the ones listed here, but these are the ones we found.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Today's On-Theme Words for Strands
Our first on-theme word based on Hints was "MEATS" which immediately made the overall theme of Grocery Store section names pretty apparent.
Here are all of the on-theme words on the board:
- MEATS
- DAIRY
- FROZEN
- BAKERY
- PRODUCE
- SEAFOOD
- GROCERY STORE (Spangram)
