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NYT Strands brings architectural elegance to the grid with today’s theme
The spangram ARCHITECTURE anchors the puzzle, connecting styles like BAROQUE and BRUTALIST
Today’s words highlight iconic design movements across centuries.
It’s Wednesday, and the population is officially knee-deep in the week. Odin’s Day falls smack between Monday’s madness and Friday’s freedom, just right for a mental stretch. When your coffee or your post-lunch pump is kicking in, take a break to do today’s New York Times Strands, a lovely, crafted brainteaser that’s all about form and function.
Today’s puzzle is an ode to the design and structure world, namely, architectural styles. From gaudy and luxurious to bare and minimalist, this grid is influenced by movements that have sculpted skylines and shaped culture. Whether it’s a little ode to something Gothic, Baroque, or Brutalist, these are not merely buildings; they’re declarations.
You’re presented with a 6x8 grid of scrambled letters. Hidden inside are words that relate to today’s theme, architecture. Each word flashes blue when found. But the highlight? The spangram, a golden word stretching from one side of the grid to another. This special word unlocks the puzzle’s central concept and ties all the others together.
Consider famous buildings, periods, and design mantras. Gothic cathedrals, Victorian houses, and modernist concrete landscapes, each phrase takes you to architectural styles and movements. The topic might seem generic at first, but search for common design-related terms and let them take you to the rest.
ARCHITECTURE is the starting word that stretches across the grid today. It connects the other words and emphasizes the theme: the art and science of creating the physical world around us.
Below are the words that form today’s grid:
BAROQUE: A complexly detailed and elaborate style of architecture from 17th-century Europe.
REVIVAL: A return to or renewed popularity of old architectural styles.
DECO: Abbreviated for Art Deco, a geometric and bold design from the early 20th century.
BRUTALIST: A contemporary architectural style distinguished by its raw concrete and blocky buildings.
CLASSICAL: Architecture based on the principles of ancient Greece and Rome, highlighting symmetry and proportion.
Today’s Strands is not merely a matter of looking for words; it’s about basking in the beauty and variety of the created world. As with a well-engineered building, the puzzle can initially appear daunting, but when you see the underlying framework, it all fits.
So take a moment, look at the buildings around you, and have a bit of midweek intellectual architecture before you trudge through the remainder of your day.
