Thursday, October 17, 2024

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Friday, October 18 (game #229)

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 Wordle today, NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #229) - hint #1 - today's theme

What is the theme of today's NYT Strands?

• Today's NYT Strands theme is… All wrapped up

NYT Strands today (game #229) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

  • VIPER
  • SING
  • PLING
  • SLOG
  • MAST
  • PAST

NYT Strands today (game #229) - hint #3 - spangram

What is a hint for today's spangram?

• Filler upper

NYT Strands today (game #229) - hint #4 - spangram position

What are two sides of the board that today's spangram touches?

First: right, 4th row

Last: 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 #229) - the answers

NYT Strands answers for game 229 on a blue background

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today's Strands, game #229, are…

  • GYOZA
  • SAMOSA
  • WONTON
  • PIEROGI
  • EMPANADA
  • SPANGRAM: DUMPLINGS
  • My rating: Moderate
  • My score: 3 hints

These are all things that I like to eat, so you'd have thought that I'd have flown through today's Strands – but no, I needed three hints to complete it. The shame!

In my defense, the first one was required because the theme clue of 'All wrapped up' wasn't so obvious that I knew what was needed. It gave me GYOZA, at which point I was away and was able to get SAMOSA too. But there I stalled. I couldn't think of any other 'wrapped foods', so needed one hint for WONTON and one for PIEROGI. I got EMPANADA, but only after about 20 minutes of trying to make the letters assemble into an actual word. Not my finest hour.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Thursday, 17 October, game #228)

  • DRAFT
  • WAIVERS
  • ROSTER
  • MATCHUPS
  • STANDINGS
  • SPANGRAM: FANTASYLEAGUE

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT's new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now out of beta so is a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable and 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.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both without leaders. What now?

People are reflected in a window displaying a poster of then newly appointed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in the Palestinian camp of Bourj al-Barajneh on August 08, 2024 in Beirut Lebanon.

Today, Israel announced that they had killed Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas.

Sinwar came to power in the wake of the death of hiss predecessor, as well as the head of Hamas's military wing – leaving him ss the leading figure of the militant group.

What will Sinwar's death mean for Hamas and for Israel's war in Gaza ?

For sponsor-free episodes of Consider This, sign up for Consider This+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Email us at considerthis@npr.org.

(Image credit: Chris McGrath)

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Quordle today – hints and answers for Thursday, October 17 (game #997)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 1.

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #997) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• B

• B

• L

• S

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #997) - the answers

Quordle answers for game 997 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #997, are…

  • BUILD
  • BIRTH
  • LURCH
  • SASSY

Quordle seems to be fond of words with multiple repeated letters in right now. After EERIE and its three Es yesterday and EMCEE on Monday, here's SASSY and its three Ss.

SASSY was a very tough Wordle when it appeared in that game last November (average score: 5.0) and is likely to cause as many problems here. The other words aren't too tricky, but I needed a guess to confirm the B in BIRTH and BUILD, then spent another on SAVVY, before completing on the final attempt.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #997) - the answers

Quordle daily sequence answers for game 997 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #997, are…

  • TASTY
  • TRITE
  • LOATH
  • ERECT

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #996, Wednesday 16 October: EERIE, SMIRK, HUNCH, EMBED
  • Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
  • Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
  • Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
  • Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
  • Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
  • Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
  • Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
  • Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
  • Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
  • Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
  • Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
  • Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
  • Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
  • Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
  • Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
  • Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
  • Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
  • Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
  • Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL

Morning news brief

Polls move in Donald Trump’s direction, but race remains tight. White House tells Israel to increase aid to northern Gaza. Ukraine says North Korea may be sending soldiers to help Russia in the war.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Quordle today – hints and answers for Wednesday, October 16 (game #996)

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now nearly 1,000 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today – or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my Wordle today, NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #995) - hint #1 - Vowels

How many different vowels are in Quordle today?

• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #2 - repeated letters

Do any of today's Quordle answers contain repeated letters?

• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 3.

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #3 - uncommon letters

Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?

• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today's Quordle answers.

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #4 - starting letters (1)

Do any of today's Quordle puzzles start with the same letter?

• The number of today's Quordle answers starting with the same letter is 2.

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #996) - hint #5 - starting letters (2)

What letters do today's Quordle answers start with?

• E

• S

• H

• E

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #996) - the answers

Quordle answers for game 996 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle, game #996, are…

  • EERIE
  • SMIRK
  • HUNCH
  • EMBED

I'm not sure today's Quordle could have been much harder, so I'm pleased with the way I solved it with one guess to go. All of the words are to some extent difficult, a couple particularly so.

EERIE is probably one of the worst words that could ever turn up here, and I dread the day it arrives in Wordle (if indeed it does). With three Es, two of them together at the start, it has an incredibly uncommon spelling format, which will likely have made it hard even for experienced Quordlers. EMBED also has a repeated E, while HUNCH is one of the worst word-traps in the game; -UNCH has five possible solutions, PUNCH, LUNCH, HUNCH, MUNCH and BUNCH, and all are common words and so equally likely to appear.

My tactic for solving it was to play HIMBO, a word which would rule in/out three of those in one go; the other two had already been ruled out. And not only did it confirm HUNCH, but it also gave me the M and B I needed for EMBED, and the M for SMIRK. After that it was simply a case of identifying EERIE – which took me a while, but I got there in the end.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Daily Sequence today (game #996) - the answers

Quordle daily sequence answers for game 996 on a yellow background

(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #996, are…

  • STOKE
  • EDIFY
  • TENET
  • CIVIL

Quordle answers: The past 20

  • Quordle #995, Tuesday 15 October: UMBRA, BRIEF, GRAVY, TORUS
  • Quordle #994, Monday 14 October: ROGUE, STORY, EMCEE, AUNTY
  • Quordle #993, Sunday 13 October: UNFIT, NYMPH, THUMB, PUREE
  • Quordle #992, Saturday 12 October: SAUCY, UNDUE, EGRET, HELLO
  • Quordle #991, Friday 11 October: RINSE, ANIME, PUSHY, ZEBRA
  • Quordle #990, Thursday 10 October: UNTIL, MARSH, METAL, WINDY
  • Quordle #989, Wednesday 9 October: TRIAL, HUSKY, DOWNY, TRADE
  • Quordle #988, Tuesday 8 October: TROUT, HATER, BARGE, DOZEN
  • Quordle #987, Monday 7 October: CAULK, HALVE, APING, HEATH
  • Quordle #986, Sunday 6 October: FUDGE, TENOR, BEGAT, ROUSE
  • Quordle #985, Saturday 5 October: ELECT, CROAK, FRISK, JAUNT
  • Quordle #984, Friday 4 October: ELFIN, GRAIL, PATIO, RECAP
  • Quordle #983, Thursday 3 October: TENTH, REMIT, CURVE, TOAST
  • Quordle #982, Wednesday 2 October: ARGUE, CRANE, TOKEN, PRINT
  • Quordle #981, Tuesday 1 October: FRILL, MADLY, GRANT, NYLON
  • Quordle #980, Monday 30 September: CRUSH, TARDY, TEACH, STUMP
  • Quordle #979, Sunday 29 September: SERIF, BORNE, WRITE, SLEEK
  • Quordle #978, Saturday 28 September: BUSHY, CIVIC, SNOUT, EQUIP
  • Quordle #977, Friday 27 September: GUEST, CHASM, ROOST, BASAL
  • Quordle #976, Thursday 26 September: STAGE, VOGUE, CLUMP, HEATH