Looking for a different day?
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing ‘today’s game’ while others are playing ‘yesterday’s’. If you’re looking for Wednesday’s puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, September 3 (game #549).
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 NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
NYT Strands today (game #550) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Far from ordinary
NYT Strands today (game #550) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- DUSKY
- TECH
- REAL
- RUDE
- BRIT
- CREW
NYT Strands today (game #550) – hint #3 – spangram letters
How many letters are in today’s spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #550) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
First side: top, 3rd column
Last side: bottom, 6th column
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #550) – the answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #550, are…
- ZANY
- ABSURD
- MADCAP
- QUIRKY
- BIZARRE
- ECCENTRIC
- SPANGRAM: OFF THE WALL
- My rating: Easy
- My score: Perfect
The letter Z made ZANY easy to find today, but I got too distracted trying – and failing – to connect ‘crazy’ that I didn’t come up with BIZARRE until closer to the end.
Q was another letter that made our lives easier here and QUIRKY, along with MADCAP, managed to show us where the spangram was.
Of all these descriptions for someone who is “far from ordinary”, ECCENTRIC is the one you’d choose if the question was “which attribute would you most like in someone you are trapped in a lift with for an hour”?
The rest all carry an element of risk, danger or the possibility that you might be stuck with a juggler. An eccentric person is often someone with a couple of unusual habits or views and is far less likely to be carrying a chainsaw or a clown’s nose.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, September 3, game #549)
- CUBE
- BROWN
- GRANULATED
- INVERT
- POWDERED
- TURBINADO
- SPANGRAM: SUGARY
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT’s not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s now a fully fledged member of the NYT’s games stable that has been running for a year and which 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.
