Today's NYT Strands hints and answer: solutions to game #673, January 5

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

Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #673.

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

The official theme for NYT Strands #673 is... "Slapped together".

And here's an unofficial hint from me: Two sets of answers, connected by a phrase.

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

  • WICK
  • QUIPS
  • SEEDY
  • BITTY
  • SIFTS
  • RANK
  • DISC
  • STAY

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 'Q' and ends with 'Y'.

Scroll down to find out what it is...


It's QUICKANDDIRTY.

Today's Strands answers

So, what are today's Strands answers for game #673?

Drumroll, please...

  • STAINED
  • FILTHY
  • GRUBBY
  • SPEEDY
  • SWIFT
  • BRISK

Strands #673

...and the spangram was QUICKANDDIRTY.Strands #673“Slapped together”🔵🔵🟡🔵🔵🔵🔵Hi Strands fans. I'll be honest: I didn't have a clue what this theme meant, and it was only after I finished that it clicked. The spangram of QUICKANDDIRTY doesn't just define the two types of answer, but is a way of saying the theme: "Slapped together".Fortunately, I stumbled into a couple of answers by chance while looking for clue words. STAINED was in the bottom-right corner, with FILTHY to its left. I found "dirty", but as it didn't connect in its own right, I followed it back to that curious 'Q' and completed the spangram of QUICKANDDIRTY. This left a gap that was ripe for GRUBBY.I then turned my attention to the "quick" part of the spangram. I found SPEEDY in the top-right corner, followed by SWIFT spelt backwards to its left. That just left BRISK in the top-left corner to complete the puzzle. (Image credit: Alan Martin)

Yesterday's Strands answers

Reading this in a later time zone? Here are the Strands answers for game #672.

Strands #672

(Image credit: Alan Martin)
  • MEDIUM
  • PSYCHIC
  • TELEPATH
  • CLAIRVOYANT
  • ORACLE

...and the spangram was SIXTHSENSE.

Strands #672

“I just know ...”

💡🔵🔵🟡

🔵🔵🔵

Hi Strands fans. Another puzzle where the theme sent me the wrong way!

When I saw "I just know...", my thoughts immediately turned to gut feelings, and I spent some time looking for the likes of "instinct", "feeling", "hunch" and so on.

Upon failing to find any, I used a clue that revealed MEDIUM, and I realized I'd been barking up the wrong tree.

I then found PSYCHIC running diagonally parallel with it, and spelled out the spangram of SIXTHSENSE in the path between the two answers. TELEPATH was in the top-right corner to complete the side.

That left two answers to find on the other section. I found CLAIRVOYANT at the bottom, with ORACLE above it 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.