If you partake in winter athletics, the hints for today’s NYT Strands are clear-cut.

Strands, the New York Times‘ elegant word-search challenge, tests players with a variation of the classic word search. Words can be created from adjacent letters — in any orientation, including diagonally, and may alter direction, forming distinct patterns. Each letter within the grid is integral to an answer. A theme links all answers, accompanied by the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that embodies the day’s theme and stretches across the grid either horizontally or vertically.

By providing an elusive hint and excluding the word list, Strands establishes a demanding game that typically requires more time to resolve than other games like Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself at a standstill or pressed for time, we have all the NYT Strands hints for today’s puzzle to assist you in advancing at your own speed.

NYT Strands hint for today’s topic: On the ice

The terms are associated with athletics.

Today’s NYT Strands topic concisely defined

These terms pertain to a sport played on ice.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is horizontal.

NYT Strands spangram solution for today

Today’s spangram is Hockey Rink.

NYT Strands vocabulary list for December 1

• Goals

• Hockey Rink

• Puck