If you are viewing this, you are looking for help with Strands, the New York Times‘ advanced word-search game.

Strands puts a new spin on the classic word search. Words can be built from adjacent letters — vertically, horizontally, diagonally, and can shift direction, forming distinct shapes and designs. Each letter in the grid contributes to an answer. There is always a theme linking every solution, accompanied by the “spangram,” a unique word or phrase that reflects the theme of the day, stretching across the grid either horizontally or vertically.

By providing a vague hint and omitting the word list, Strands offers a challenging game that tends to take longer to complete compared to other games like Wordle and Connections.

If you find yourself stuck or don’t have 10 minutes or more to tackle today’s puzzle, we have all the NYT Strands hints needed for today’s puzzle to help you move forward at your chosen pace.

NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: A long time in the making

The terms relate to landscapes.

Today’s NYT Strands theme clearly described

These terms are geological formations.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today’s NYT Strands spangram is aligned horizontally.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today’s spangram is Rock Formation.