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

Strands presents players with a new twist on the classic word search. Words are formed from adjacent letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, and they may change direction, creating distinctive shapes and designs. Each letter in the grid contributes to a solution. There is always a theme linking every answer, along with the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that captures the essence of the day’s theme and covers the entire grid either horizontally or vertically.

By providing an ambiguous hint and omitting a word list, Strands offers a challenging experience that takes a bit longer to solve compared to other games like Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself at a standstill or lack 10 or more minutes to tackle today’s puzzle, we have gathered all the NYT Strands hints for today’s challenge to assist you in advancing at your own pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Playing dirty

The words are associated with play.

A clear explanation of today’s NYT Strands theme

These words refer to outdoor toys for children.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it oriented vertically or horizontally?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is positioned horizontally.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is Sandbox Toys.

NYT Strands word list for June 27

– Shovel
– Funnel
– Bucket
– Sandbox Toys
– Sifter
– Rake
– Mold
– Truck

In search of additional daily online games? Mashable’s Games page offers more hints, and if you desire more puzzles, Mashable has games available!

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

Not the date you were looking for? Here’s the solution to yesterday’s Strands.