Need a bit of help with NYT Strands today? No shame in that, and you've come to the right place. Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #653, as well as the answers, should it come to that.
Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #653.
Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints
The official theme for NYT Strands #653 is... "Let me count the ways".
And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Complimentary answers".
If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:
- MUSE
- RING
- RAINY
- REAL
- PAGES
- PEER
- TREE
- HARE
Still struggling? The spangram touches two opposite sides of the board (but can start and end anywhere), and will give you a hint about the connection between the answers. Today, it starts with 'H' and ends with 'E'.
Scroll down to find out what it is...
It's HIGHPRAISE.
Today's Strands answers
So, what are today's Strands answers for game #653?
Drumroll, please...
- KINDHEARTED
- FUNNY
- SMART
- CHARMING
- BEAUTIFUL
...and the spangram was HIGHPRAISE.
Strands #653
“Let me count the ways”
🔵🔵💡🔵
🔵🟡🔵
Hi Strands fans. I struggled a bit with today's puzzle, but muddled my way through, using just a single clue along the way.
"Let me count the ways" seems to refer to a well-known sonnet, but I couldn't really see any connection in terms of the words it contains. But then I lucked out and got KINDHEARTED in the top-right corner, and realized this was just about admirable qualities in general.
With that realization established, I found FUNNY to its left, but then I hit a brick wall and had to use a clue. It revealed SMART in the bottom-left corner, to set me back on track.
I found CHARMING immediately above it, and then turned my attention to the spangram. The last few letters ('ISE') were already in place between FUNNY and KINDHEARTED, so I just had to extend it somehow. I eventually managed this with HIGHPRAISE.
That just left BEAUTIFUL to connect with the remaining letters to complete the puzzle.
Yesterday's Strands answers
Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #652.
- BLUE
- GREEN
- WHITE
- BLOODS
- GOLDEN
- GIRLS
- LOTUS
- ACRES
...and the spangram was COLORTV.
Strands #652
“Palette episodes”
💡🔵🟢⚪️
🔵📺🟡🟡
⚪️🟢
Hi Strands fans. Okay, this might be my favorite puzzle so far. It's got everything: a twist on the usual color palette, a cunning theme and a solution that only makes sense about halfway through. Five stars.
I did, however, need to use a clue to get started. That clue showed BLUE on the left side, so I began just connecting colors at random. I found GREEN above it and WHITE to its right.
I then went on the hunt for clue words, and accidentally connected BLOODS in the bottom corner. This would have meant nothing to me if it weren't for the fact this puzzle was color coded, and BLOODS also turned blue.
Oh: BLUE BLOODS! That's a TV show! I've not watched it, but suddenly the puzzle made sense: this is all about TV shows with colors in the title. I duly connected the spangram of COLORTV and was away.
That isolated GOLDEN in the top-right corner, so I found its partner of GIRLS below. Above it was LOTUS, the partner of WHITE. That just left ACRES to go with GREEN to complete a very enjoyable puzzle.
