Today's New York Times Strand Provides Clues (and Solution) for Saturday, August 31, 2024 (paraphrased)
If you're searching for advice and solutions for Strands for August 31, 2024, take a look—I'll share some hints and tips, and ultimately, the solution to the puzzle with the theme "Makeshift music."
For easy access to our Strands hints each day, save this page. You can also find our previous hints here if you missed a challenge in the past.
Below, we'll offer you sneaky hints for today's Strands answers. And further down, we'll reveal the spangram and the answers. Progress slowly and only take the hints you need!
Hint for the spangram in today’s Strands puzzle
A two-word term for a musical group that plays with improvised instruments.
Hint for the theme words in today’s Strands puzzle
These are all examples of homemade musical instruments used in reality.
BEWARE: Spoilers follow for today’s Strands puzzle!
We’re about to disclose the solutions to today’s Strands puzzle.
What is the spangram in today’s Strands?
Today’s spangram is JUGBAND.
What are the theme words in today’s Strands?
The theme words today are: COWBELL, SPOONS, BROOM, STOVEPIPE, BONES, WASHBOARD.
Here’s what the board looks like when it’s completed:
Credit: Strands/NYT## How I solved today’s Strands
Interesting puzzle theme; perhaps I’ll search for loud objects? Not quite sure what that would mean, though.
I notice PIPE and POOLS, but those aren’t theme words.
Hey, there’s WASHBOARD in the bottom right. ✔ Okay, so it includes common items used as instruments, probably.
Credit: Strands/NYT
SPOONS is in the upper left. ✔
PIPE is likely part of a word, like BAGPIPE or something. No idea yet, though. I make the word BEANPIPE, but that doesn’t seem right. Wait a minute, it’s STOVEPIPE. ✔
BONES is in the bottom left corner. ✔
I spot the word BAND, so that’s probably part of the spangram. I launch a guess and it works: JUGBAND. 🟡 That’s the name of a group that performs with homemade instruments! Nifty. ✔
COWBELL sits in the upper left. ✔
Lastly, BROOM. ✔
How to play Strands
Look for Strands on the New York Times website or in the NYT Games app.
When you start to play, you’ll see a game board with a variety of letters, along with a clue that reveals the puzzle’s theme (this will be a phrase, like “The more the merrier”). Your task is to spot the hidden words within the board that correspond to the puzzle’s theme.
A mix of crossword and word search
The crucial word to locate is the “spangram,” which underscores the puzzle’s theme (like the word FERMENTED, which describes products that are better with age, for the puzzle with the theme “Better with age”). The spangram will appear across the entire board, either from the left to the right or the top to the bottom (hence the name). Discovering the spangram usually makes the rest of the puzzle much more manageable.
In Strands, words can move in any direction (up, down, left, right, and diagonally), and you will only use each letter once. There is only one correct solution. Whenever you correctly determine one of the puzzle’s words (for example, KOMBUCHA, MISO, or KIMCHI), it will be highlighted in blue.
If you’re having challenges with the puzzle, you can submit unwanted words (as long as they are four letters or longer) to receive credit for a single hint. If you submit three non-theme words, the “Hint” option will become clickable; if you click on it, some of the letters in one of the theme words will be highlighted for you. However, you will still need to connect these highlighted letters in the appropriate order to form one of the theme words. If a hint has already been placed, and you decide to use another hint before you’ve solved for that word, the letter order will be revealed.
How to win Strands
Unlike Connections and Wordle, you can’t fail Strands. Whenever you submit guesses, you’ll either successfully identify an answer, score points toward a hint, or the text will shake, indicating an unsuitable word or an insufficient length. There are no limitations on guesses, and no time pressure.
You win once you’ve used all the letters on the board, which means you have discovered the spangram and all the theme words. Like other NYT games, upon completing the puzzle, you’ll get a shareable card that displays your performance: blue dots ✔ indicate theme words you found, the yellow dot 🟡 indicates when you discovered the spangram, and a lightbulb 💡 indicates words that you received a hint for.
After finding the theme words in today's Strands puzzle, you might want to explore entertainment options that involve homemade musical instruments. For instance, watching a jugband performance could be an exciting experience, as jugbands often use conventional objects like washboards, spoons, and bones as instruments.
Given that today's spangram is JUGBAND, it's no surprise that the theme words include other common homemade instruments like COWBELL, SPOONS, BROOM, STOVEPIPE, BONES, and WASHBOARD. These instruments have been used in various forms of entertainment throughout history, providing an unique musical experience.
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