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 #284) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Shape and bake
NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
- STEEL
- STEER
- REST
- BELT
- MOAN
- DINT
NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #3 - spangram
What is a hint for today's spangram?
• Kitchen template
NYT Strands today (game #284) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First: left, 5th row
Last: right, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #284) - the answers
The answers to today's Strands, game #284, are…
- BUNNY
- BELL
- STAR
- DIAMOND
- HEART
- ANGEL
- SPANGRAM: COOKIECUTTER
- My rating: Moderate
- My score: 2 hints
It's a long, long time since I've baked cookies. Actually, no, I have baked cookies in the past couple of years, but they were just splodges of gooey chocolatey goodness, not perfectly shaped BELLs, STARs, DIAMONDs or HEARTs as you would get if you used a COOKIE CUTTER.
Maybe that's a failing on my part, but they all taste the same, right – so why risk losing some mixture by creating shapes? Then again, I'm not five years old, and my kids are older teens, so pretty shapes are not going to be appreciated in the same way as they would be by a pre-schooler.
My unfamiliarity with the form definitely hurt my Strands game today; I needed a couple of hints to get going, and it was only once I spotted the spangram that things got easier. Maybe I'll bake myself a cookie to cheer myself up.
How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 11 December, game #283)
- VISE
- DRILL
- LATHE
- PLANE
- CHISEL
- JIGSAW
- SANDER
- SPANGRAM: WOODWORKING
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and 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.
