Mon Jul 14 11:10:00 UTC 2025: ## Summary:

The New York Times has launched a new word puzzle game called Strands, currently in beta. Strands presents players with a 6×8 grid of letters, challenging them to find a set of words that share a common theme, hinted at in the game’s description. Found words are highlighted in blue, and a special, spanning word called a “spangram,” which reveals the overall theme, is highlighted in yellow. The spangram can be a proper noun, while theme words are not. The game’s themes vary, including fill-in-the-blank phrases, steps in a process, and synonyms. Today’s Strands puzzle features jobs commonly found in towns.

## News Article:

**The New York Times Beta Tests New Word Puzzle “Strands”**

NEW YORK, NY – The New York Times has quietly released a new word puzzle called “Strands,” currently in its beta testing phase. The game challenges players to find a group of words hidden within a 6×8 grid of letters that all share a common theme.

Similar to a word search, players must identify and highlight the theme words, which will be marked in blue. A key element of the game is the “spangram,” a word that spans the grid and reveals the puzzle’s overall theme. The spangram is highlighted in yellow.

Unlike the theme words, the spangram can be a proper noun. The game’s difficulty is expected to vary throughout the week, mirroring the approach used in the popular Wordle game, also published by The New York Times.

According to The New York Times, the game’s themes can include fill-in-the-blank phrases, steps in a process, categories, synonyms, and homophones. Today’s puzzle theme appears to be jobs commonly found in towns.

The future of “Strands” hinges on its daily player engagement. The New York Times will be monitoring its popularity to determine whether the game will remain a permanent fixture on its website. Players are encouraged to give “Strands” a try and help shape its future.

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