NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Wednesday, May 8 (game #66)

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Today’s Strands puzzle is not quite as tricky as yesterday’s, but it’s not exactly easy either. So if you’re on the hunt for help then let me point you in the direction of my hints. You’ll find them below, together with the answers and my commentary on the game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #66) – hint #1 – today’s theme

What is the theme of today’s NYT Strands?

• Today’s NYT Strands theme is… Can you digit?

NYT Strands today (game #66) – hint #2 – clue words

What are some good clue words today?

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• BAND

• BRAND

• STEEP

• STEEL

• HOLE

• MULE

NYT Strands today (game #66) – hint #3 – spangram

What is a hint for today’s spangram?

• Natural or imaginary?

NYT Strands today (game #66) – hint #4 – spangram position

What two sides of the board does today’s spangram touch?

• First: right, 5th row

• Second: left, 5th row

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #66) – the answers

(Image credit: New York Times)

The answers to today’s Strands, game #66, are…

BINARYWHOLELUCKYBACONDANCESERIALTELEPHONESPANGRAM: NUMBERS

My rating: ModerateMy score: Perfect

I thought this Strands puzzle would be easy, but not so. The theme clue – ‘Can you digit?’ (following ‘Can you dig it?’ yesterday; nice work, NYT) – immediately suggested numbers, and indeed I found that spangram running backwards across the board almost immediately. BINARY and WHOLE, both beneath the spangram, were simple solves too, and LUCKY followed by virtue of there being nothing else it could be.

But LUCKY indicated that it might be harder than I’d predicted, and here I stalled. Unlike the first couple, LUCKY is not a mathematical term (or not necessarily one), simply one that precedes ‘numbers’. And that was the case with almost all of the others. It took me quite some time to come up with any of the others; I spotted PHONE, but it didn’t turn blue, and it was only a while later that I realized it was TELEPHONE instead.

The others were all horrible. I wasn’t thinking broadly enough to consider BACON or DANCE, and SERIAL just took ages because of all of the vowels. I got there in the end, but it wasn’t exactly a cake walk.

How did you do today? Send me an email and let me know.

Yesterday’s NYT Strands answers (Tuesday 7 May, game #65)

GOLDSILVERCOPPERANTIMONYARSENICBISMUTHSPANGRAM: HEAVYMETAL

What is NYT Strands?

Strands is the NYT’s new word game, following Wordle and Connections. It’s currently in Beta and can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile.

I’ve got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it, so check that out if you’re struggling to beat it each day.

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