Jump to:

Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #689, January 21

News
By last updated

Need help with Strands #689? Here are some hints and the answers

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

1. Today's hints

2. Today's answer

3. Yesterday's answer

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

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #689.

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #689 is... "That's not very polite".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Inappropriate behavior."

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

  • DATES
  • PRUDENT
  • RUNT
  • TENDS
  • DOES
  • PRINTER
  • RUBE
  • GOES

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 'D' and ends with 'E'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's DONTBERUDE.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #689?

Drumroll, please...

  • SHOUT
  • INTERRUPT
  • POINT
  • STARE
  • BURP
  • TEASE
  • GLOAT

Strands #689

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was DONTBERUDE.

Strands #689

“That's not very polite”

🔵🔵🔵🔵

🔵🟡🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. Nothing too tricky today. "That's not very polite" clearly points at rudeness, and I could in fact see the word "rude" near the bottom of the board.

I guessed that was part of the spangram, but couldn't connect it, so began looking for words associated with rudeness. I found SHOUT in the bottom-left corner, followed by INTERRUPT on the opposite side. POINT and STARE were directly above it.

These, combined with BURP on the left-hand side, made the spangram route clear. I connected DONTBERUDE to leave two answers in the top-left corner.

Splitting them up was easy enough. TEASE was at the bottom with GLOAT above it to complete the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #688.

Strands #688

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • HEEL
  • TONGUE
  • SHOELACE
  • LOGO
  • EYELET
  • VAMP
  • SOLE

...and the spangram was JUSTFORKICKS.

Strands #688

“Sneak-ing around”

🟡🔵🔵🔵

🔵🔵🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. I cottoned on to the theme of today's puzzle rather quickly, and noticed the spangram - JUSTFORKICKS - unusually forming an 'L' shape around the left-hand side.

I was slightly concerned this was going go deep into sneaker terminology, but I quickly learned that any kind of basic shoe knowledge would be enough to get me through.

I found HEEL in the bottom-right corner, followed by TONGUE above it. SHOELACE was above that.

I was now a little stuck, but just as I was about to give up and use a clue, I saw LOGO to its left, which helpfully divided the board in two. I was able to get EYELET above it, leaving two answers to separate below.

I'd not heard the term VAMP, but was able to guess it with SOLE below to complete the puzzle.

Alan Martin
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. 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.

Back To Top