Strands, the New York Times’ daily twist on word search, hides connected theme words in a 6×8 grid. Letters can turn corners and go diagonally, and every tile is used once. You can play today’s puzzle at the Strands page.

Today’s puzzle at a glance

  • Theme: Practice makes perfect
  • Spangram orientation: Vertical
  • Spangram: PIANO LESSONS
  • Difficulty: Moderate (as rated by NYT playtesters)

All theme words

  • TUNE
  • CHORD
  • SCALE
  • THEORY
  • TECHNIQUE
  • RECITAL

Everything today points to the basics of learning an instrument: the study (THEORY), the physical approach (TECHNIQUE), the building blocks (SCALE, CHORD), what you adjust (TUNE), and where it all shows up (RECITAL). The spangram, PIANO LESSONS, runs vertically and ties the set together.

How in‑game hints work

Strands builds hints from “valid” non-theme words you find along the way. Each time you submit three words of four letters or more, the game reveals one theme word’s path on the board. Use that reveal to constrain nearby letters and reduce guesswork.

Strategy snapshot

  • Trace likely anchors first. With a music-practice theme, scan for clusters that could bend into SCALE or CHORD—curvy paths are common.
  • Map around confirmations. After locking in a theme word, the remaining letters around it narrow your options for the next find.
  • Think in pairs and sets. Today’s grid likes complementary concepts (melody/harmony, study/performance), which can suggest what’s missing.
  • Bank hints early. If you stall, quickly harvest three clean 4+ letter words to surface a reveal and keep momentum.

Missed a day or want to replay?

You can browse past calendars and load earlier boards in the Strands archive. New puzzles roll out at midnight in your local time zone on the main Strands page.

Tip: On vertical spangram days, look for a plausible start near the top rows and test a straight‑down backbone; it often helps partition the grid into solvable halves.