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 #886 as well as the answers, should it come to that.
We'll start off with some clues, before building up to the full answer for Strands #886, so read on if you need a little help.
Warning: Spoilers lie ahead for Strands #886.
Today's NYT Strands answer — Today's theme and hints
The official theme for NYT Strands #886 is... "Blossoming forth".
And here's an unofficial hint from me: "Colorful forests".
If you're still in the dark, here are some useful words to give you those valuable clue tokens:
- MANGO
- RUDER
- GLARED
- THAT
- WEED
- RAIL
- DODGER
- GONE
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 with 'E'.
Scroll down to find out what it is...
It's FLOWERINGTREE.
Today's Strands answers
So, what are today's Strands answers for game #886?
Drumroll, please...
- CHERRY
- DOGWOOD
- MAGNOLIA
- REDBUD
- HAWTHORN
...and the spangram was FLOWERINGTREE.
Strands #886
“Blossoming forth”
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Hi Strands fans. An enjoyable puzzle, despite the fact I didn't know half the words that turned out to be answers. That made it more of a lateral-thinking puzzle for me than usual, and all the more fun for it.
Right away, I could see the word "flowering" that I correctly assumed to be part of the spangram. Only I was following it to the right from the 'N' rather than up, which incorrectly had me digging around the "wood" in the bottom-right corner.
Eventually I found CHERRY on the right-hand side, which reinforced my previous belief. But after exhausting all the options, I began to look at the letters in that corner to try and figure out what they could be if not the spangram. DOGWOOD, it turns out.
I then looked to the other side of what I assumed to be the spangram and tried to unpick an anagram over there. Sure enough, I was able to connect MAGNOLIA, which proved my theory about it being to do with "flowering".
I stared at it for some time, and was eventually able to see the route. It was, of course, FLOWERINGTREE.
That left two more anagrams to unpick. REDBUD was on the right, with HAWTHORN 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 #885.
- IDEA
- THOUGHT
- PLAN
- OPINION
- NOTION
- CONCEPT
...and the spangram was BRAINSTORMING.
Strands #885
“All things considered”
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Hi Strands fans. I had a little trouble getting started with today's puzzle, so ultimately used a clue.
I immediately felt a bit silly when it revealed a four-letter word (IDEA) along the bottom of the board, but at least it gave me the inspiration to get going.
I found THOUGHT to its left, followed by PLAN above it. OPINION was to its right, and I then saw the spangram of BRAINSTORMING above them all to cap the bottom half.
The top half was comparatively simple, with just two answers to find. NOTION was on the left with CONCEPT on the right to complete the puzzle.
