The August 1 NYT Strands puzzle uncoils a theme rooted in myth, instinct, and silent strength, a nod to creatures as old as story itself.
With SERPENT as its spangram, today’s puzzle connects a set of iconic snakes including VIPER, RATTLER, COBRA, and MAMBA.
Each word is a symbol of transformation, danger, and elegance. Together, they form a puzzle that feels both primal and poetic.
It’s the first day of August, a month that has welcomed the births of icons, visionaries, disruptors, the quietly brilliant, and the unapologetically bold. Legends, across time and craft, have entered the world beneath August’s heavy skies and sun-baked soil.
Something in this month always hints at legacy. On this opening day, The NYT Strands puzzle pays quiet homage, not through grand declarations, but through something older, more instinctive.
The NYT Strands Today grid is a testament to transformation. For the figures who, like the animals in the puzzle, have become experts in reinvention, silence, and surprise. This is a movement and myth puzzle. Eight words trail through the board, bound by one curving spangram, a beautiful reminder that some of the deepest truths creep in quietly, unexpectedly.
First-time user: NYT Strands is a daily word game in The New York Times. The grid is 6 by 8, and you try to reveal words that relate to an underlying theme. When you do, it becomes blue, confirming your discovery.
At the heart of it all is the spangram, a word that reaches across two or more edges of the board. It summarizes the theme, bringing all the pieces together. It’s always there, though not always visible at first.
To unlock a hint, you’ll need to find three valid words (at least four letters each) that aren’t part of the theme. But the joy of Strands lies not in shortcuts. It’s in the uncoiling, the slowness of finding form in chaos.
SERPENT – Ancient, symbolic, endlessly reborn. The throughline of the puzzle and the quiet pulse of its theme.
VIPER – Fast, precise, a flash of instinct
ANACONDA – Huge and coiled, the jungle's silent strength
RATTLER – Threat before the blow
COBRA – Grace with a crown of menace
ADDER – Country, deadly, hiding in legend
PYTHON – Myth-laden, power without noise
MAMBA – Smooth and venomous, as swift as the light
Today’s NYT Strands answers didn’t turn into convolutions. They were presented in elevation, rhythm, and respect, as well as an appreciation of beings with transformation, stealth, and survival. It reflects those individuals born in August: long-lasting presences, those who transform, those who command notice without having to request it.
The spangram, SERPENT, had taken in more than a species. It had whispered of tales old and continuing, myths we leave behind, instincts we follow, and symbols we revisit when reminded of power that is not loud, but enduring.
Not all puzzles have to be below. Some merely slither into the light, inviting us to track the contours of legacy.