Sunday puzzle solving activates the same neural networks that made childhood rainbow spotting feel like discovering hidden treasure in ordinary skies.
These six particular colors represent humanity's first attempt to categorize the infinite spectrum of light into manageable, memorable puzzle pieces.
The hidden connection between color recognition and word-finding explains why rainbow-themed puzzles feel more satisfying than typical vocabulary challenges.
As Sunday afternoon settles into that perfect golden hour rhythm, there's something magical about looking up at the sky and remembering childhood promises about pots of gold. The New York Times' Strands puzzle arrives today with impeccable timing, celebrating one of nature's most enchanting phenomena – the rainbow that appears when sunlight dances through raindrops in perfect harmony.
Today's puzzle invites players to rediscover the simple wonder of color, spectrum by spectrum, hue by hue.
This Sunday's Strands is a celebration of the visible light spectrum that has captivated humanity since the dawn of time. From childhood songs that taught us to remember the order to adult moments of awe when we spot that perfect arc across storm-cleared skies, it's a journey through the colors that define our visual world.
It's pure optical joy, contained within a 6x8 grid of possibility.
Every puzzle features a 6-by-8 grid where multiple theme words hide in plain sight. Correct theme words illuminate in blue when discovered. The spangram – a special word spanning opposite sides of the grid – glows yellow when found. Theme words typically avoid proper nouns, though the spangram may bend this rule.
CHASINGRAINBOWS – The eternal human pursuit of beauty, wonder, and perhaps that legendary pot of gold at the rainbow's end.
ORANGE – The warm citrus glow that bridges red and yellow, autumn's signature and sunset's promise.
YELLOW – Sunshine captured in wavelength form, the cheerful center that brightens every spectrum.
INDIGO – The deep blue mystery that Newton insisted belonged between blue and violet in his seven-color scheme.
BLUE – Sky's favorite color, ocean's preferred shade, the cool constant that defines distance and depth.
VIOLET – The purple edge where visible light surrenders to ultraviolet mystery, delicate yet profound.
GREEN – Nature's chosen hue, the color of growth, life, and that perfect balance between warmth and cool.
This puzzle marks a fitting moment for contemplation and wonder. Each color you encounter is linked to numerous memories, from cardboard boxes for crayons, prisms taught in science, to real rainbows created by summer storms. Very satisfying would be finding these familiar friends hidden within the grid; it's akin to finding lost treasures from one's childhood in an attic.
Whether one is solving this during an early morning coffee or after a lazy afternoon stretch, Strands today synthesizes that wistfulness with natural panache and a soft challenge. A range of possibilities and none is interfered with by storm clouds.