New York Times' Strands: A Fresh Twist on Word Searches with Millions of Players

New York, New York, USA United States of America
Daily puzzle game attracts dedicated following of puzzle fans and solvers
Game offers unique twist: find theme words and spangram with common link
New word search game, Strands, officially added to NYT Games app
Objective: find theme words and spangram touching opposite sides of board
New York Times' Strands: A Fresh Twist on Word Searches with Millions of Players

Strands, a new word search game from The New York Times, has been officially added to the NYT Games app on iOS and Android. The game was in beta testing since March and gained millions of players despite being hidden from the public. Strands offers a fresh take on word searches with its unique twist that challenges solvers to find theme words that all have something in common and a spangram that describes what they have in common.

The objective of Strands is to find theme words and the spangram, which must touch two opposite sides of the game board. Finding three words not part of the theme will unlock hints and help players uncover more theme words. Players can connect letters vertically, horizontally, and diagonally.

Strands was first introduced during an annual event called Game Jam, where members of the Games team gather to explore ideas for new games. The game followed the proven in-house development process to deliver a clean, elegant user experience with content crafted by experienced award-winning NYT Games puzzle creators Tracy Bennett and Jonathan Knight.

The daily puzzle game has attracted a dedicated following of puzzle fans and solvers who enjoy anagrams or games like Boggle and Scrabble. Strands is currently the third most searched game on The New York Times, with 83% of players finding the spangram each day and a completion rate around 81%, similar to Mini Crossword and Tiles.

The introduction of Strands to The Times' portfolio of games further solidifies its commitment to delivering diverse, quality, and human-crafted puzzle games for all skill levels that everyone can enjoy playing every day.


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Confidence

100%

No Doubts Found At Time Of Publication

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

The New York Times’ excellent word search game is now in its Games app

The Verge Jay Peters Thursday, 27 June 2024 21:24
  • Unique Points
    • Strands players find the Spangram in their puzzles 83% of the time, with an 81% completion rate.
    • Strands will be added to the Game tab in The New York Times app later this year.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

97%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

With ‘Strands,’ the New York Times has found its next hit game

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Jordan Valinsky Wednesday, 26 June 2024 11:52
  • Unique Points
    • Strands was in testing phase for four months and gained millions of players despite being hidden
    • Strands will be added to the Times’ Games app, exposing it to millions of new players
    • During testing phase, Strands was only playable on web or via links from other games
  • Accuracy
    • Strands is organized by a 6-by-8 grid of seemingly random letters with a category hint on the top, players have to find several words relating to the theme and the ‘spanagram’
    • Strands players find the Spangram in their puzzles 81% of the time, with an 81% completion rate.
    • The New York Times currently has over 10.6 million digital-only subscribers and its games have been played over 8 billion times last year
    • Games have helped the Times boost revenue beyond advertising with digital subscriptions crossing $1 billion for the first time in 2023
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Today’s NYT ‘Strands’ Hint, Spangram And Answers For Thursday, June 27

Forbes Magazine Kris Holt Wednesday, 26 June 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Strands is a daily word search game by The New York Times.
    • Today's Strands hint: Better together
    • Theme words: MACARONI, BISCUITS, BURGER, COMBO MEALS, GRAVY, FRIES and CHEESE.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Today's NYT Strands Hints, Answer and Help for June 27, #116

CNET Friday, 28 June 2024 07:02
  • Unique Points
    • Today's Strands puzzle theme is: Better together.
    • Theme words in the puzzle are: FRIES, BURGER, BISCUITS, GRAVY, MACARONI, CHEESE.
    • The spangram answer for today’s Strands puzzle is: COMBOMEALS.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Solvers can now play Strands in the New York Times Games app

The New York Times Wednesday, 26 June 2024 13:44
  • Unique Points
    • Strands joins other puzzles like Connections, Wordle, Spelling Bee, The Crossword and The Mini in the Games app.
    • The objective of Strands is to find theme words that all have something in common and a spangram that describes what they have in common.
    • Strands offers a fresh take on word searches with a unique twist that challenges solvers.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication