If you are viewing this, you are in need of help with Strands, the sophisticated word-search game from the New York Times.

Strands presents players with a fresh spin on the classic word search. Words can be created from adjacent letters — whether going up, down, left, right, or diagonally, and can shift direction, forming distinctive shapes and patterns. Every letter within the grid contributes to an answer. There exists a theme that connects each solution, alongside the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that represents the day’s theme and stretches across the grid either horizontally or vertically.

By offering an ambiguous hint and excluding a word list, Strands crafts a cerebral challenge that requires a bit more time to complete than other games such as Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself at an impasse or lack 10 or more minutes to tackle today’s puzzle, we have all the necessary NYT Strands hints for you to move forward at your own pace.

NYT Strands hint for the theme of the day: Whodunit? The words pertain to crime.

Today’s NYT Strands theme simply put: These words represent various types of usual suspects.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal? The NYT Strands spangram for today is vertical.

NYT Strands spangram answer for today: The spangram for today is Its a Mystery.

NYT Strands word list for August 22:
– Spouse
– Heir
– Lover
– Its a Mystery
– Stranger
– Detective
– Rival

Interested in more daily online games? Visit Mashable’s Games page for additional hints, and if you seek more puzzles, Mashable has games available now!

Explore our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crosswords, and more.

Not the date you’re looking for? Here’s the answer to yesterday’s Strands.