Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #776, April 18

NYT Strands on a cellphone
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide/NY Times/Shutterstock)
Strands today: Quick menu

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 #776 as well as the answers, should it come to that.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #776.

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Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints

The official theme for NYT Strands #776 is... "Not too much".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Quite the steal."

If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:

  • FOLDERS
  • VICES
  • IRON
  • CHEERS
  • THESE
  • BRAVE
  • GROAN
  • CHEESE

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 'O' and ends with 'P'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...


It's ONTHECHEAP.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #776?

Drumroll, please...

  • BUDGET
  • INEXPENSIVE
  • AFFORDABLE
  • SALE
  • BARGAIN

Strands #776

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was ONTHECHEAP.

Strands #776

“Not too much”

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Hi Strands fans. A nice and easy one today - or at least it was for me, as I saw the word BUDGET in the top-right corner almost immediately.

I then started working on the 'X' in the opposite corner, which was, of course, part of INEXPENSIVE.

I then spotted AFFORDABLE on the in the bottom right. This left a gap down the middle for the spangram of ONTHECHEAP.

Two words were left to find, each neatly isolated in their own sections. SALE was on the right-hand side, which just left BARGAIN in the top-left corner to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #775.

Strands #775

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • SCALLOP
  • MUSSEL
  • OYSTER
  • ABALONE
  • CONCH
  • LIMPET
  • CLAM

...and the spangram was MOLLUSK.

Strands #775

“Shell company”

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Hi Strands fans. An easy one today, though I was let down by my defaulting to British spellings. I saw "mollus..." across the middle of the board right away, but was looking for a 'C' to cap it, rather than the 'K' used in American English.

That didn't stop me for long, mind, as I found SCALLOP in the bottom-left corner, followed by MUSSEL to its right. I then saw OYSTER in the middle perfectly around the letters I'd spotted before. I gave it a second look and connected the spangram of MOLLUSK.

I had four words left to find, starting with ABALONE in the bottom-right corner. I then spotted CONCH in the top-right corner, with LIMPET on the opposite side. That just left CLAM between the two to complete the puzzle.

Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.