If you’re visiting, you might be seeking assistance with **Strands**, *The New York Times*’ distinctive word-search game.

### How to Engage with Strands

Strands offers a fresh take on the conventional word search. You can create words by linking letters in any orientation—up, down, sideways, or diagonally. Words can shift direction as well, forming intriguing shapes. Every letter within the grid contributes to an answer. Each puzzle features a central theme, and a unique word or phrase, known as the **spangram**, embodies that theme and stretches across the grid either horizontally or vertically.

### What Makes Strands Stand Out

In contrast to other NYT games like **Wordle** or **Connections**, Strands does not supply a word list. Instead, participants must depend on a rather ambiguous clue, enhancing the challenge and extending the time needed to figure it out.

If you’re facing difficulties or pressed for time, we have all the clues required to crack today’s Strands puzzle at your convenience.

—

## **Hints for Today’s NYT Strands**

### **Theme Hint: “A fungus among us”**
The terms in today’s puzzle are typically found in cooking instructions.

### **Theme Insight**
All the terms represent different varieties of a well-recognized fungus.

### **Spangram Hint: Orientation**
Today’s spangram is positioned **vertically**.

### **Spangram Solution**
The spangram for today is: **Mushrooms**.

—

## **NYT Strands Word Collection for March 3**

– **Shiitake**
– **Truffle**
– **Cremini**
– **Enoki**
– **Button**
– **Oyster**
– **Mushrooms**

—

### **Interested in More Games?**
If you love daily challenges, explore [Mashable’s Games Hub](https://games.mashable.com/) for **Mahjong, Sudoku, crosswords, and more**.

Did you miss yesterday’s puzzle? [Locate the solution here](https://mashable.com/article/strands-nyt-hint-march-2-2025).