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.
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NYT Strands today (game #942) – hint #1 – today’s theme
What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?
• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Things fall apart
NYT Strands today (game #942) – hint #2 – clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- OBEY
- CRUEL
- CORN
- SLAP
- REAL
- MATES
NYT Strands today (game #942) – hint #3 – spangram letters
How many letters are in today’s spangram?
• Spangram has 12 letters
NYT Strands today (game #942) – hint #4 – spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today’s spangram touches?
• First side: left, 3rd row
• Last side: right, 8th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #942) – the answers
The answers to today’s Strands, game #942, are…
- BREAK
- CRUMBLE
- COLLAPSE
- DISSOLVE
- FRAGMENT
- SPANGRAM: BEYONDREPAIR
- My rating: Hard
- My score: 2 hints
I eventually got the spangram after multiple stages of feeling myself towards it — pair, then repair, then on repair, then finally BEYONDREPAIR. Once I’d made it, my gameplay felt the same way.
I was also slow to get going, but after finding half a dozen non-game words I took the lazy person’s way out and grabbed two hints: BREAk and CRUMBLE. From here it was easier, but I didn’t have my finest of days.
In the West we find the idea of things falling apart depressing, but in Japan there is a term — wabi-sabi — for taking pleasure and beauty in the natural decay and weathering of objects and displaying the patina of life. It’s lovely.
Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, September 30, game #941)
- CAPO
- PICK
- GUITAR
- DRUMS
- PIANO
- SYNTH
- AMPLIFIER
- SPANGRAM: MUSICSTORE
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.


