NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #218 (Monday, October 7 2024)

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? Today's theme — "Most excellent" — is rather cryptic, and relies on a certain knowledge of slang to complete.

Below, we've compiled some useful hints for Strands #218, as well as the answers, should it come to that. We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #218, so read on if you need a little help.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #218.  

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #218 is... "Most excellent".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Wicked slang".

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

  • COSTS
  • SHOTS
  • VOWELS
  • GOOD
  • SWEAT
  • HALLS
  • SHALL

Still struggling? The spangram will give you a hint about the connection word. Today, it both starts with 'T' and ends with 'L'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's THATSCOOL.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #218?

Drumroll, please...

  • BOSS
  • GROOVY
  • DANDY
  • CHOICE
  • HYPE
  • RIGHTEOUS
  • SWELL

Strands #218

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

..and the spangram was THATSCOOL.

Strands #218

“Most excellent”

💡🔵🔵🔵

🔵🔵🔵🟡

🔵

Hi Strands fans. How well you fare on today's puzzle will depend on how au fait you are with several decades' worth of slang. For me, this made it a challenge.

In fact, I had to use a clue right away, which revealed BOSS - a term that I'd have been unlikely to find on my own. 

Still, it set me up definitively with the theme, having been unable to see past Bill & Ted previously. I connected GROOVY in the top-left corner, followed by DANDY below BOSS on the right side. 

CHOICE and HYPE followed along the bottom before I began searching for the spangram. Having found "right" in the bottom-right corner, I pursued this, expecting it to connect to the other side of the board, only for it to stop short at RIGHTEOUS. 

Still, by connecting that, I'd exposed the route for the actual spangram, which turned out to be THATSCOOL, spelt from left to right along the middle of the grid. That just left SWELL above it to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? You can find the full article on yesterday's Strands answers for game #217 right here.

Alan Martin

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. Or, more likely, playing Spelunky for the millionth time.

Read more
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #324 (Tuesday, January 21 2025)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #299 (Friday, December 27 2024)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #327 (Friday, January 24 2025)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #377 (Saturday, March 15 2025)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #315 (Sunday, January 12 2025)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #357 (Sunday, February 23 2025)
Latest in Gaming
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Thursday, March 20 (#648)
NYT Strands on a cellphone
NYT Strands today — hints, spangram and answers for game #382 (Thursday, March 20 2025)
NYTimes Connections
NYT Connections today hints and answers — Wednesday, March 19 (#647)
Switch 2 console and logo
Nintendo Switch 2 rumor just tipped possible release date — and it's much sooner than we thought
MLB The Show 25 screenshot
MLB The Show 25 celebrates 20 years of baseball — but may not entice regular players
A screenshot of Assassin's Creed Shadows
I’ve played every Assassin’s Creed game since the start — here’s my verdict on Assassin’s Creed: Shadows after 60 hours
Latest in News
Google Pixel 9a hands-on.
Pixel 9a’s on-device AI isn’t as good as the Pixel 9 — here’s what’s different
Cristin Milioti in "Black Mirror" season 7 coming to Netflix
5 biggest Netflix movies and shows I can’t wait to watch in spring 2025
Siri in iOS 18 on iPhone
Users complain that Siri can’t answer even the most basic questions — here’s what we know
Sony Xperia 1 VI
Sony Xperia 1 VII could get a 200MP main camera to challenge Galaxy S25 Ultra
iPhone 16 next to samsung galaxy watch 7 and bose wireless earbuds on a composite image
Apple's walled garden is crumbling — EU orders iOS to open up to third-party devices
Sourdough Sidekick
Feeding your sourdough starter just got a lot easier with this new smart gadget