Routine is essential to people of all ages. Whether it is a fifteen-step skin care routine every morning or fifteen-step nighttime routine before you go to bed, people live in patterns. Recently, students have found a new routine: playing New York Times games. Teachers see their students complete the Connections on Classwize and watch them get the Wordle in three tries. Even though this new fad has distracted some, students can’t break the routine of playing all the NYT games each morning. Spanning from the Daily Mini to the Spelling Bee, the NYT has always been the main hub for brain games. For any word nerds who haven’t been updated yet, the New York Times has just released a convoluted word search game called Strands.
If you haven’t had the chance to play the new game, Strands is a six-by-eight grid of letters that all fit an overarching theme. Each game, there is a new hint provided to help players understand the correlation between the words, yet the hints are never simple. The words aren’t only found in vertical, horizontal, or diagonal lines. The letters can be connected in weird shapes, making the task much harder to complete. But don’t worry; the creators were generous enough to make a hint button. When players find words that aren’t related to the theme, the hint button at the bottom of the screen begins to fill up. Once enough irrelevant words are found, players are able to click the hint button to discover the letters that spell out one of the words in the puzzle. There are around six to eight words each game, but one of them is more special than the rest. Each game features a spangram, a word or short phrase that summarizes the theme and connects top to bottom or left to right edges. When players find the spangram, the game loses its key challenge because they understand what the words are related to. Like every other game, Strands comes out daily at 12 a.m., alongside its counterparts Wordle and Connections.
The major appeal with NYT games is the one-per-day feature. People enjoy having something to do each morning and prefer the game because it can’t be played an infinite number of times. While better known as an English teacher, cruciverbalist Mr. Whitehead expressed how Strands has been a new addition to his morning line-up. “I love the new Strands game and quickly developed an addiction to it,” Whitehead said. “I now play it every morning after Wordle, the daily puzzle, and Connections.” Mr. Millar even noted how he spends his free time during rehearsal playing NYT games, including Strands. “I play Strands every rehearsal, but I am only able to complete it with [Selah’s] help,” said Millar as we were solving the puzzle together earlier this week.
At first glance, I didn’t think I would enjoy the new game. In the beginning, it seemed too obvious. I felt like my eyes could easily spot the words. Plus, I thought the game creators were pitying the players by including a hint button. I felt as if the hints were ruining the point of exercising your mind. I enjoy a good challenge, and I honestly didn’t understand the initial appeal. However, my opinion changed within the first week. Strands got progressively harder as the themes became more specific and niche. I realized later how beneficial the hints became because I found myself getting stuck. From themes like Looney Tunes to euphemisms, I came to love the game and the trickery behind it.
The strategy behind completing Strands varies from person to person, but here are a few ways to help complete the puzzle. “One strategy I use is to scan the corners and edges. Words are almost always found in those areas,” Whitehead said. Because each letter must be used, looking at the edges definitely makes the puzzle a lot more solvable. I tend to pick out the spangram as soon as possible so the other words become more obvious.
Strands brings in a wave of enthusiasm to puzzle lovers, adding an extra step to their daily routine. With intricate themes and word constructions, this game poses to be the perfect mental workout. So, if your mind is longing for some more exercise, take a chance with the daily Strands.
