NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Monday, December 9 (game #281)

Strands is the NYT’s latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it’s great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc’s Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

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

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

  • SLAP
  • POEM
  • NOISEY
  • MILE
  • SMELT
  • PONY

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

The answers to today’s Strands, game #281, are…

  • WRAP
  • PSALM
  • GNOME
  • HONESTY
  • MNEMONIC
  • KNUCKLE
  • SPANGRAM: SILENT LETTER

  • My rating: Hard
  • My score: 2 hints

After seeing the clue and spotting the word Noisey in the grid, it appeared that today’s Strands was about sounds; instead Noisey and Noise just helped get closer to a hint – something that was much needed with today’s SILENT LETTER theme.

Even after working out the connecting theme once I’d been gifted WRAP, I still struggled to find these dreaded aphthongs – you could say it gnawed at me and momentarily turned me into a psycho ready to wreak havoc on the pseudo Strands setters, pterodactyl style – but then I connected the Spangram snake, untwisted my knickers and all was good with the world.

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


  • FACE
  • HANDS
  • BEZEL
  • CROWN
  • LUXURY
  • DIGITAL
  • ANALOG
  • SPANGRAM: WATCHWORDS

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