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NYT Strands is one of the unique word puzzles that challenge players to find new words from the randomly arranged letters.
The task is to form correct words that match the puzzle's theme. Like today’s theme is ‘Not your average joe’
Players need to find six non-spangram words and a spangram word from the grid to solve the puzzle.
NYT Strands often tasks players to find words related to an apparently weird theme. The theme is definitely interesting, but sometimes they don’t give any hint of the words at a glance. Almost all the NYT word puzzles have their unique solving methods, and Strands isn’t different.
From the guessing method to the word grid, it differs in every aspect from Wordle or NYT Connections. Sitting in any corner of the world, one can enjoy solving NYT Strands for its themes.
Today’s NYT Strands presents a new challenge: players need to understand the theme and observe the letter grid to form suitable words that match it. Finally, their goal is to discover the spangram. Today's NYT Strands puzzle could be tough, but it's a fun topic.
Before we move on to solving the puzzle, let’s understand its theme. Today's theme says, ‘Not your average joe’ It’s one of the easiest Strands in recent times. Today’s theme is related to beauty parlours. All the non-snapgram words are associated with parlour service.
Now that you have learned the theme of the day, let’s figure out the non-snapgram words that will indicate music and rhythm.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for December 30, 2025
To make the process a bit easier, here are the additional clues:
Hint 1: The first word starts with BO and is a four-letter word.
Hint 2: The second word starts with NU and is a five-letter word.
Hint 3: The third word starts with BI and is a six-letter word.
Hint 4: The fourth word starts with SM and is a six-letter word.
Hint 5: The fifth word starts with ST and is a six-letter word.
NYT Strands Answer, January 1 2026, for non-spangram words include:
BOLD
NUTTY
BITTER
SMOOTH
STRONG
AROMATIC
VELVETY
All these words are related to migratory birds that come to the south side during winter. Based on these, let’s discover the spangram of today’s NYT Strands:
Now, it's time to know today’s spangram. For the NYT Strands January 1, 2026, the spangram is
COFFEE
This phrase spans zigzag from the right to the left side of the grid. Players will find it in the middle of the puzzle. As every day, the snapgram defines the puzzle's theme and justifies all the words. To know the locations of the words and the spangram, check out the image below:
NYT Strands is one of the most captivating word puzzle games by The New York Times, blending elements from renowned puzzle games like Spelling Bee, Connections, and traditional crosswords. If one is struggling with this puzzle, here are some tips to make the process smoother:
Players must focus on word patterns and associations.
Start finding words from the corner. The spangram is rarely at the corner of the grid so that non-spangram words can be there.
Don’t step back to get a hint. For every non-theme word, one guess will earn them a hint.
The spangram is generally stretched vertically across the board to look for it accordingly.
NYT Strands puzzles bring something new to players every day. These words challenge players’ vocabulary with their themes and force them to think outside the box to find the exact words. Understanding the theme is crucial to identifying the associated words.
The best part is that this puzzle never repeats the theme. None of them is related to the previous ones. Therefore, each day, players must think creatively to solve these puzzles. Today, one tests the gamer's vocabulary of styling before parties or weddings.
Also Read: Today’s NYT Strands Hints and Answers for December 27, 2025
