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Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #681, January 13

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Need help with Strands #681? Here are some hints and the answers

NYT Strands on a cellphone
(Image credit: Tom’s Guide/NY Times/Shutterstock)
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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 #681 as well as the answers, should it come to that.

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #681.

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #681 is... "You need to chill".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: "It'll keep longer".

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

  • SWEARS
  • LISP
  • PETS
  • GONE
  • ABLE
  • TEENS
  • GEESE
  • ZERO
  • POST

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 'F' and ends in 'D'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...

It's FROZENFOOD.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #681?

Drumroll, please...

  • PIZZA
  • WAFFLES
  • SHERBET
  • POPSICLES
  • VEGETABLES

Strands #681

(Image credit: Alan Martin)

...and the spangram was FROZENFOOD.

Strands #681

“You need to chill”

💡🔵🟡🔵

🔵🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. I must admit the theme sent me off in the wrong direction today, as I assumed this was going to be about synonyms for being cold, or possibly ways of cooling oneself down.

After failing to find anything along these lines, I used a clue which revealed PIZZA - something I definitely wasn't looking for. But then I realized this was about FROZENFOOD, the spangram I found spelt backwards across the middle of the board immediately afterwards.

With the direction now clear, I spotted WAFFLES in the top-right corner, followed by SHERBET in the bottom-right corner. I then connected POPSICLES to complete the bottom half of the grid.

Just one answer was left to find. I connected VEGETABLES in the top-left corner, and completed the puzzle.

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #680.

Strands #680

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • NAME
  • EDUCATION
  • EXPERIENCE
  • SKILLS
  • CONTACT
  • AWARDS

...and the spangram was RESUME.

Strands #680

“Appeal to a hire power”

💡🔵🟡🔵

🔵🔵🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. I needed a clue to get started today for two reasons. Firstly, because I'm British, and it's "CV" rather than "resume" over here. Secondly because I'm a freelancer, and haven't needed to update mine in about a decade.

In any case, that clue revealed NAME, which put me on the right track. I'd already clocked the spelling of "hire" in the theme, and used this with the clue to find the spangram of RESUME near the top of the board.

I then found EDUCATION in the area cordoned off in the top-left corner, followed by EXPERIENCE in the opposite corner.

Then, I spotted SKILLS on the left-hand side, and CONTACT below it. That just left AWARDS near the top-right corner 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.

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