Today's New York Times Puzzle Solutions (and Clues) for Wednesday, September 11, 2024 (Paraphrased)
If you're looking for tips and solutions for Strands for Wednesday, September 11, 2024, check this out—I'll share some subtle hints, reveal the jumble, and finally, provide the puzzle solution with the theme "Word play."
To easily access our daily Strands hints, save this page. You can also refer to our archive for previous hints, in case you've missed something.
Below, I've provided some indirect hints to help you solve today's Strands riddles. Further down, you'll find the jumble and the answers. Take only the hints you need. Slowly scroll and be selective!
Hint for the jumble in today’s Strands:
This is a type of store that sells items children enjoy—mostly made of plastic.
Hint for the theme words in today’s Strands:
These are various items children might find enjoyable and wish to engage with.
ATTENTION: Spoilers ahead for today’s Strands puzzle:
We're about to reveal the solutions to today’s Strands puzzle.
What is the jumble in today’s Strands?
Today’s jumble is TOYSTORE.
What are the theme words in today’s Strands?
Today’s themes are: CAR, ENIGMA, DOLL, GOOP, LEGO, TRICYCLE, PUPPET.
Here's what the board looks like when the puzzle is completed:
Credit: Strands/NYT## How I solved today’s Strands:
I'm unsure about the type of words to search for based on the theme, but I do notice the word PUZZLE in the top right. Let's check if it's a match. Great! 🔵
The words STRAIGHT, STILL, and STUCK are not themes, and TOKYO is not an accepted word. Hmm. I’ll attempt a hint. 💡
DOLL. 🔵
Credit: Strands/NYT
Perhaps it's just objects children might play with? "Play-with" is an adjective describing the puzzle's theme. Understood.
This means it's not STUCK, instead, it's CAR. 🔵
We have the word TOY—probably part of the jumble. Confirmed, TOYSTORE. 🟡
GOOP wraps up the top half. 🔵
LEGO is below the jumble. 🔵
TRICYCLE is in the bottom left. 🔵
Finally, PUPPET. 🔵
How to play Strands:
You can find the Strands game on the New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.
When you begin playing, you'll see a game board with various letters, accompanied by a clue hinting at the theme—for example, "Improves with time." Your goal is to locate hidden words within the board that correspond to the puzzle's theme.
A crossword combined with a word search
The most significant word to find is the "jumble," a word explicitly indicating the puzzle's theme. For example, the jumble for the puzzle with the theme "Improves with time" is Cured, which refers to items that become better with time. The jumble spans the complete game board, either left to right or top to bottom (hence the name). When you discover the jumble, it will be highlighted in yellow. Solving the jumble usually makes the rest of the puzzle much more manageable.
In Strands, words can move in any direction (up, down, left, right, and diagonal), and you'll use each letter only once. There is only one correct solution. Once you correctly identify one of the puzzle's words (for instance, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it will be highlighted in blue.
If you're struggling to solve the puzzle, you can input non-theme words (minimum four letters) to earn a hint. If you submit three non-theme words, the "Hint" button becomes clickable—if you click it, the letters for one of the theme words will be highlighted on the board for you. However, to form a theme word, you must connect these highlighted letters in the proper order. If a hint is already on the board and you use another hint before solving for that word, that word's letter order will be revealed.
How to win Strands:
Unlike Connections and Wordle, you cannot lose Strands. When you put in suggestions, you'll either find a solution, receive credit for a hint, or the text will shake, indicating a short or unaccepted word. You cannot run out of attempts, and there's no time limit.
You win when you've used every letter on the board, meaning you've discovered the jumble and all the themes. When you finish the puzzle, you'll see a shareable card showing your performance that day—blue dots 🔵 indicate theme words found, the yellow dot 🟡 indicates when you found the jumble, and a lightbulb 💡 indicates words that received a hint.
Credit: Strands/NYT
Today's Strands entertainment comes with various challenges, including deciphering the jumble TOYSTORE and identifying theme words such as CAR, ENIGMA, DOLL, GOOP, LEGO, TRICYCLE, and PUPPET. You can immerse yourself in this interactive game by visiting the New York Times website or the NYT Games app. Once you've located the hidden words, your board will be filled with blue dots, showcasing your accomplishment.
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