Today's New York Times Puzzle Solutions and Clues for Sunday, September 1, 2024 (Revised Edition)
If you're searching for help with Strands for September 1, 2024, I've got you covered! I'll share some hints and tips, and then reveal the solution to the puzzle, which has the theme "Serve ginger-ly?"
To easily access our Strands hints every day, save this page to your bookmarks. You can also locate our previous hints here.
Below, you'll find some indirect hints for today's Strands answers. Additionally, further down the page, you'll discover the spangram and the answers. Take only the hints you need! Proceed slowly.
Hint for the spangram in today’s Strands puzzle:
A two-word term for a well-known sushi dish featuring an American state.
Hint for the theme words in today’s Strands puzzle:
These are the components required to create the food item described in the spangram.
Warning: Spoilers ahead for today’s Strands puzzle!
We are about to expose the answers to today’s Strands puzzle.
What does the spangram in today’s Strands puzzle mean?
Today’s spangram is CALIFORNIAROLL.
What are the theme words in today’s Strands puzzle?
The theme words today are: RICE, MAYO, SEAWEED, CUCUMBER, AVOCADO, CRAB.
Here's what the board looks like when the puzzle is solved:
Credit: Strands/NYT## How I solved today’s Strands
The dash following "ginger" leads me to anticipate either food/spice-related words (like ginger) or words connected to the color red, such as hair color.
I see the word RICE in the upper left corner, and it's a hit. 🔵 RICE and ginger remind me of Asian cuisine.
MAYO is right beside RICE. 🔵
Credit: Strands/NYT
AVOCADO is in the lower right corner. 🔵
Intriguing, the words “extremely cautious” are spelled out from the third to fourth rows—unsuitable for use in the puzzle, but nonetheless, intriguing.
I also see the word ROLL, but it's not a theme word. If it's a sushi puzzle, this could be part of the spangram.
SEAWEED travels down the left side of the puzzle. 🔵
Yes, I've found the spangram: CALIFORNIAROLL. 🟡
CUCUMBER fits in the small indentation created by the spangram. 🔵
Crab completes the puzzle. 🔵
How to play Strands
Visit the Strands game on the New York Times website or in the NYT Games app to start playing. You'll see a game board with a range of letters, accompanied by a hint that points to the puzzle's theme—like "Better with age." Your objective is to locate the concealed words within the board that match the puzzle's theme.
Strands—A crossword merged with a word search
The most significant word to find is the "spangram," which more explicitly states the puzzle's theme. The spangram will span the entire game board, either from left to right or top to bottom. Discovering the spangram usually simplifies the rest of the puzzle.
In Strands, words can move in any direction (up, down, left, right, or diagonally), and you will only use each letter once. There's only one correct solution. When you correctly identify one of the puzzle's words (such as KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it will be highlighted in blue.
If you're having trouble solving the puzzle, you can submit any non-theme words that are four letters or longer to earn credit for a single hint. If you submit three non-theme words, the "Hint" button will be activated; click it, and all the letters in one of the theme words will be highlighted for you. You will still need to arrange these highlighted letters in the proper order to form one of the theme words. If there's already a hint on the board, and you submit another hint before solving for that word, the letter order for that word will be revealed.
How to win Strands
Unlike Connections and Wordle, it's impossible to fail Strands. When you submit guesses, you will either correctly identify an answer, receive credit for a hint, or the text will shake back and forth, indicating that the word you submitted is too short or incorrect. There's no limit to the number of guesses or time, and you can't run out of tries.
You win when you've used all the letters on the board, which means you've identified the spangram and all of the theme words. Like other NYT games, upon successfully solving the puzzle, you'll see a shareable card that indicates how you performed that day: blue dots 🔵 represent theme words you found, the yellow dot 🟡 represents when you found the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 indicates words that you received a hint for.
After discovering the spangram, you might want to unwind with some entertainment. Why not try solving other themed word games or watch a movie featuring California as a setting?
Now that you've solved the spangram, it's time to enjoy a fresh and flavorful Californiaroll. With rice, avocado, cucumber, and crab, you'll be savoring the taste of today's Strands puzzle.
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