NYT unveils hints and solutions for Monday, December 30's crossword puzzle challenge
NYT unveils hints and solutions for Monday, December 30's crossword puzzle challenge
Hey there, peeps! Searching for Sunday's Strands clues, spangram, and solutions? Look no further!
How to Play Strands
The NYT's Strands is a twist on the classic word search. You can play it on the NYT website or in the NYT Games app, alongside popular games like Wordle and Connections.
Each day, you'll be presented with a 6x8 grid of letters. Your goal is to discover a collection of words sharing a commonality. A hint will help you figure out the theme. When you find a theme word, it'll be highlighted in blue.
There's also a special word called a spangram. It reveals the shared characteristic of the theme words. The spangram links at least two grid sides and may not start or end there. While theme words won't be proper names, the spangram can be. Once you find the spangram, it'll be highlighted in yellow.
Every letter in the grid appears at least once in a theme word or the spangram. You can connect letters vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, and even switch directions mid-word. If you're using a touchscreen, double tap the last letter to submit your guess.
Find three valid words of at least four letters that aren't part of the theme to unlock the Hint button. Clicking this highlights the letters of one theme word.
Remember, you'll need to stay sharp. Sometimes you'll need to fill in missing words in a sentence. Other times, the game revolves around synonyms or homophones. The difficulty level varies daily, and puzzle creators may surprise you.
Today's Strands Hint
Caveat Emptor! I'll reveal the answer words shortly after this hint.
Today's official Strands hint is...
Keep it old-school
Need a little more help? Here's another hint...
Classical tunes
There are six theme words to find today, including the spangram.
Today's NYT Strands Hints
Warning! Don't scroll any further if you're not ready to find out today's Strands hints.
Here are the first two letters of every theme word in today's puzzle. They're listed from left to right, then top to bottom based on the first occurrence of any letter:
- SY
- SO
- PR
- CO
- OV
- CO
Today's NYT Strands Answers
Before I reveal the complete list, I'll start with the spangram location and show you where that is on the grid.
Last Chance to Look Away!
Today's Strands spangram is...
COMPOSITION
Here's where you can find it on the grid...
Today's Strands theme words are...
- SYMPHONY
- SONATA
- PRELUDE
- COMPOSITION
- OVERTURE
- CONCERTO
Here's what the completed grid looks like...
I spotted SONATA in the top right, then PRELUDE below it, and CONCERTO at the bottom. OVERTURE helped me decipher the spangram, with SYMPHONY wrapping things up.
I used no hints and found the spangram as the fifth theme word.
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- If you're seeking the Sunday 'Strands' clues, spangram, and solutions, you're in the right place. The NYT's 'Strands' is a classic twist on the word search game.
- Referring to the text, the hint to keep it old-school for 'Strands' today points towards classical music.
- In the previous section, the hint was 'Classical tunes', indicating the musical theme for today's 'Strands'.
- Today, the NYT 'Strands' challenge consists of six theme words, including the spangram.
- The 'Strands' spangram for December 30 is 'COMPOSITION', revealing the shared characteristic of the classical music-themed words.