Strands answer yesterday
No. 979 · Sat 7 Nov
Yesterday's puzzle, solved. Today's hints are one tap away, with no spoilers.
Yesterday's Strands Answers
Deep Dive
Theme Analysis
Theme clue: "In the blink of an eye"
Theme words: 7 words to find
Total answer letters: 48 (16 unique)
Spangram Breakdown
Word: WHATSTHEHURRY
Length: 13 letters
Unique letters: 9 of 13
Word Statistics
Longest word: HURTLE (6 letters)
Shortest word: RUSH (4 letters)
Average length: 5.0 letters
Top Letters
Looking back
The answer key for this Strands puzzle reads "[object Object]," which is not a word, theme, or spangram. That string appears when a program converts an object to text without extracting its value. Somewhere between the puzzle data and the publishing page, the real theme words went missing, and a placeholder took their place. The key insight here is a warning. If you saw this answer, check your sources before you hunt through the grid. Players who searched for a hidden phrase wasted time on a puzzle with nothing to find. Rating it 7/10 does not hold up. Without a valid theme, the difficulty score says nothing about the board itself. A 7 suggests a real challenge with a satisfying reveal, and this puzzle offered neither. I would hold the rating until the editors publish a corrected answer, then score the puzzle on its merits. Anything else is guessing.
How to play Strands
NYT Strands presents a 6×8 grid of scrambled letters. Your goal is to find all the themed words hidden in the grid, plus a special word called the spangram.
Words are formed by connecting adjacent letters in any direction: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Letters must be connected in sequence, and each letter can only be used once per word.
The spangram is a special word that touches two opposite sides of the board and reveals the puzzle’s theme. Finding it first can help you identify the remaining words.
Use the theme clue at the top of the puzzle to figure out what all the words have in common. A new Strands puzzle is available daily.
Play at nytimes.com/games/strands. A new puzzle every day.
Tips
- Read the theme clue first. It tells you the category connecting all the hidden words. Think broadly about what words could fit.
- Look for the spangram early. It’s usually the longest word and spans from one side of the board to the other, which helps you map out the remaining words.
- Theme words do not overlap. Each letter in the grid belongs to one answer. Once you find some words, the remaining letters narrow down what is left.
Questions
Does NYT Strands repeat past answers?
NYT Strands aims to provide a fresh challenge every day without repeating recent answers.
Where can I find all past NYT Strands answers?
This page is the complete archive of past NYT Strands answers, updated daily after each new puzzle.
How is difficulty rated?
Difficulty is rated on a 1-10 scale based on answer complexity and how many hints players typically need.