Stuck on today’s Strands? Puzzle #559 circles a single idea and then hides it in plain sight.

Today’s setup

  • Theme: Better than good
  • One-line nudge: Think of the catchphrase a certain cereal mascot is known for.
  • Spangram orientation: Vertical

Spoilers: answers below

If you just want the finish line, here it is.

Spangram

THEYREGREAT (“They’re Great”) — it runs vertically. A practical route to it on this board starts from the leftmost T on the top row and snakes downward.

Theme words

  • EXPECTATIONS
  • PLAINS
  • AUNTS
  • LAKES
  • MINDS
  • APES

Why these fit

  • Great Expectations
  • Great Plains
  • Great aunts
  • Great Lakes
  • Great minds
  • Great apes

How to use hints without giving the game away

Strands rewards progress even when you’re not on-theme: every three valid non-theme words of four letters or more unlocks a reveal on a theme word. Use that to light up one answer, then work outward from its cleared letters.

Light strategy for this grid

  • Scan edges for long, proper-looking strings — EXPECTATIONS sits cleanly and anchors a large portion of the board.
  • Once the theme clicks, pivot to short, high-yield pairs: APES, AUNTS, and MINDS often tuck into corners and diagonals.
  • When the set feels complete, trace the spangram last to mop up remaining letters.

Play, archive, repeat

Strands updates daily and you can replay or catch up using the official archive. New puzzles retain the same rules: every letter belongs to exactly one answer, words can turn at right angles or diagonals, and the spangram spans the board edge-to-edge.

Tip: if you prefer a lighter spoiler, keep only the orientation and the spangram hint in mind; the theme words will fall out naturally once you spot one “Great” pairing.