Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #736, March 9

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

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #736.

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #736 is... "Cute enough to eat".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Tasty pet names."

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

  • MEAGRE
  • FUDGE
  • STEAM
  • TULIP
  • KEPT
  • DEAR
  • TRADE

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 'E' and ends with 'S'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...


It's ENDEARMENTS.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #736?

Drumroll, please...

  • BEAN
  • MUFFIN
  • NUGGET
  • PEANUT
  • PUMPKIN
  • DUMPLING

Strands #736

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was ENDEARMENTS.

Strands #736

“Cute enough to eat”

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Hi Strands fans. After a few days of completing Strands puzzles without difficulty, today's really tripped me up.

I had to use two clues to get started, as the theme of "Cute enough to eat" left me a bit perplexed. These two clues revealed BEAN in the top-right corner, and MUFFIN on the left-hand side. Together, it made sense: this was a puzzle all about pet names.

I then found NUGGET underneath BEAN, followed by PEANUT below it. These two left a clear path for the end of the spangram, and I was able to connect ENDEARMENTS through the gap.

The two remaining answers were in their own separate areas, meaning it was just a case of decoding two anagrams. PUMPKIN was in the top-left corner, with DUMPLING at the bottom to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #735.

Strands #735

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • CLOCK
  • SLEEP
  • FORWARD
  • SPRING
  • HOUR
  • LOSING

...and the spangram was DAYLIGHTSAVINGS.

Strands #735

“That time of year again”

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Hi Strands fans. A nice and easy one today, as I saw the spangram of DAYLIGHTSAVINGS written across the middle of the board (and back) right away.

That meant it was just a case of finding connected words, starting with CLOCK which was right in the middle of the spangram.

SLEEP was the next word I spotted in the bottom-right corner, followed by FORWARD to its left to complete the bottom half.

Moving onto the top section, I found SPRING in the top-left corner, followed by HOUR to its right. That just left LOSING in the top-right corner 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.