The hints for today’s NYT Strands are clear if you have a good understanding of characters.

Strands, the New York Times‘ sophisticated word-search game, offers players a variant of the classic word search. Words can be constructed from adjacent letters in any orientation, even diagonally, and can alter direction, forming distinct shapes and designs. Each letter within the grid contributes to an answer. A central theme links all solutions, along with the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that embodies the day’s theme and stretches across the grid either horizontally or vertically.

With its obscure hint and absence of a word list, Strands offers a challenging puzzle that typically requires more time to solve than other games like Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself in need of assistance or lack 10 or more minutes for today’s challenge, we have all the NYT Strands hints necessary to move forward at your convenience.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Allow me to enumerate the ways

The words are associated with personality.

Today’s NYT Strands theme elucidated

These words characterize favorable personality attributes.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is oriented vertically.

NYT Strands spangram answer for today

Today’s spangram is High Praise.

NYT Strands word list for December 16

• Charming

• Funny

• Smart