NYT Strands homescreen on a mobile phone screen, on a light blue background
(Image credit: New York Times)
Looking for a different day?
A new NYT Strands puzzle appears at midnight each day for your time zone – which means that some people are always playing 'today's game' while others are playing 'yesterday's'. If you're looking for Tuesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Tuesday, March 18 (game #380).
Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.
Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.
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NYT Strands today (game #381) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Upright and grand
NYT Strands today (game #381) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
GRITS
STEM
TIME
GRIME
FAST
STEEP
NYT Strands today (game #381) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 10 letters
NYT Strands today (game #381) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: right, 4th row
Last side: left, 5th row
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.
NYT Strands today (game #381) - the answers
NYT Strands answers for game 381 on a blue background
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #381, are…
COVER
FRAME
STRINGS
HAMMERS
PEDALS
KEYBOARD
SPANGRAM: PIANO PARTS
My rating: Moderate
My score: 1 hint
I took a hint today to get me going. The “upright and grand” theme immediately made me think of pianos, but when I tapped out K-E-Y-S and it was only a Hint word I began to have my doubts.
Pianos always makes me think of British comedian Eric Morecambe, who had a great sketch where he played the piano for conductor André Previn. After Previn complained that he wasn’t playing the right notes, Morecambe responded: “I am playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order.”
The only thing I can play on the piano (roughly in the right order) is Just Can’t Get Enough by Depeche Mode and trust me – after you’ve heard it once, that will be enough for you.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Tuesday, 18 March, game #380)
TOUCHY
GRUMPY
PEEVED
IRKED
SURLY
CRANKY
VEXED
SPANGRAM: CROSSWORD
What is NYT Strands?
Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.
I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day.
Contributor
Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet, music, football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye. Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective, his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way). A man of few talents, his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred, appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay, and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker. Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons.
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