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 Wednesday's puzzle instead then click here: NYT Strands hints and answers for Wednesday, March 26 (game #388).
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 #389) - hint #1 - today's theme
What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?
• Today's NYT Strands theme is… Playing the field
NYT Strands today (game #389) - hint #2 - clue words
Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.
BARE
NILL
GONE
LINT
TRIP
BRIDGE
NYT Strands today (game #389) - hint #3 - spangram letters
How many letters are in today's spangram?
• Spangram has 14 letters
NYT Strands today (game #389) - hint #4 - spangram position
What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?
First side: left, 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 #389) - the answers
NYT Strands answers for game 389 on a blue background
(Image credit: New York Times)
The answers to today's Strands, game #389, are…
DODGER
PIRATE
BRAVE
MARLIN
GIANT
BREWER
SPANGRAM: NATIONAL LEAGUE
My rating: Easy
My score: Perfect
Even though I’m in the UK and don’t follow baseball, I was still able to easily identify today’s words – such is the branding power of Major League Baseball, or in this case the NATIONAL LEAGUE.
Seeing the teams in singular form was a little strange, as was a Spangram that was so long (a whopping 14 letters) that it started and ended on the same side of the puzzle.
One of the oddest things about US sports teams from my perspective is how they can move between towns — the Atlanta Braves having previously existed during their history in Boston and Milwaukee.
In England, Arsenal Football Club get endless grief from their North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur because they were formed in south London and only crossed the river in 1913.
How did you do today? Let me know in the comments below.
Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Wednesday, 26 March, game #388)
ZEBRA
MEERKAT
WARTHOG
HYENA
ELEPHANT
HORNBILL
SPANGRAM: LION KING
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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