Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #687, January 19

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

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #687.

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #687 is... "Shaking things up".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Unexpected movements."

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

  • BRAKES
  • STEW
  • BORE
  • WEAVE
  • BOWLER
  • BROKE
  • RACK
  • VASE

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 'L' and ends with 'K'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...


It's LETSROCK.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #687?

Drumroll, please...

  • WOBBLE
  • VIBRATE
  • TREMBLE
  • QUAKE
  • TEETER
  • SWAY
  • WAVER

Strands #687

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was LETSROCK.

Strands #687

“Shaking things up”

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Hi Strands fans. A nice easy one today, aided by my quickly spotting WOBBLE at the very top of the grid.

I then saw VIBRATE along the right-hand side, with TREMBLE in the top-right corner to cement the common theme.

QUAKE followed in the middle of the board, before I connected the spangram of LETSROCK, which runs from the top-left corner to the bottom of the board.

Three answers were left to find. I noticed TEETER isolated in the bottom-right corner, which left two answers to separate in the middle. SWAY was on the right, with WAVER on the left to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #686.

Stands #686

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • QUILT
  • CROCHET
  • EMBROIDER
  • WEAVE
  • KNIT
  • APPLIQUE

...and the spangram was TEXTILEART.

Strands #686

“Soft skills”

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Hi Strands fans. Today's puzzle might have tripped me up, as the theme of "Soft skills" sounds a little vague.

But then I saw the 'QU' in the top-right corner and connected QUILT. The rogue 'X' nearby led me to the spangram of TEXTILEART, and I realized I was looking for craft-related answers.

I found CROCHET spilling into the top-right corner, and then saw EMBROIDER covering the entire bottom of the grid. WEAVE followed above the end of it to complete the lower segment.

That left two answers to find on the other side. I spotted KNIT first, which left APPLIQUE left to connect. Just as well that was last, as it's a word I'm completely unfamiliar with!

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.