The New York Times keeps puzzle lovers engaged with its daily Strands puzzle, presenting a special word challenge that combines vocabulary abilities with thematic relevance. The game asks players to find words concealed in a grid, and all of the words are associated with a common theme. The puzzle for today, Flour Power, presents a list of specialty food items that prompt players to think outside the box.
The Strands puzzle is a twist on word search. Players need to find words that pertain to a specific theme, and one unique word, the spangram, which runs across the grid horizontally. Also, finding three words of four letters or longer in the grid wins players in-game hints, which help find the themed words.
For a little help in the right direction, today's topic is Flour Power. A helpful hint to keep in mind is King Arthur, Pillsbury, Gold Medal—all popular brands of flour, implying that the words in this puzzle are various types of flour or substitutes for flour.
To uncover theme words, players need to first locate any words of four letters or more. Some of the words found for this use include:
MOPE
COPE
TREE
LUCK
BUCK
FATE
GLUE
CHEER
WHOP
WHEN
DUCK
CHICK
CHIC
HICK
Any words of the same length will suffice to unlock hints, helping players to solve the puzzle.
The following words fit today's Flour Power theme:
CORN
RICE
ALMOND
TAPIOCA
CHICKPEA
BUCKWHEAT
Today's spangram is GLUTENFREE. To find it, players will start with the letter 'G' six letters down on the leftmost row and follow a path up and across the board. Finding the spangram correctly guarantees that all the letters on the board are utilized, filling out the puzzle.
The NYT Strands puzzle also remains popular by presenting players with a new linguistic challenge every day. With its interesting themes and witty placement of words, it is an invigorating mental game for word game lovers. Either solving on one's own or with hints, the puzzle offers a satisfying experience for players at all levels.