The New York Times’ Strands puzzle for March 18, #745, presented a moderately challenging word-finding experience. Players must identify theme-related words hidden within a grid of letters, with the ultimate goal of uncovering a spangram – a theme word spanning the entire puzzle.
Understanding the Puzzle
Strands requires strategic word discovery. Finding words of four or more letters reveals theme hints. The puzzle’s difficulty lies in recognizing the unifying theme and unscrambling less obvious words.
Hints and Clues
Today’s theme is “It follows.” A key clue: “Not death…”
To unlock in-game hints, any combination of four-letter words can be used. Suggested words include: LEFT, COLE, HOLE, LACK, BILE, LEACH, SOLE, LOSE, LIFE, SEER, STEEL, STERN, FAIL.
Solutions
The non-spangram answers for today’s puzzle are:
- COACH
- HACK
- BLOOD
- CYCLE
- STYLE
- LESSON
- PRESERVER
These words all logically follow the word “LIFE.”
The spangram – the word that connects across the entire grid – is AFTERLIFE. Start at the leftmost ‘A’ on the top row and trace the letters downwards.
Challenging Past Puzzles
Some past Strands themes have proven particularly difficult. Notably, puzzles based on dated slang (like those including the term “PHAT”) or niche topics (such as marine biology with terms like “BALEEN” or “RIGHT”) tend to be the most challenging.
Strands puzzles test vocabulary, pattern recognition, and deductive reasoning. Successfully completing a puzzle requires both persistence and a bit of luck in spotting the hidden connections.
